Last call for Saturn in Aquarius! The new moon put a black light-spotlight on the planet of directives and organization, which sits in a place of cerebral strength. You may find two weeks following the new moon pressurizing in good ways and bad; ideal for considered-but-sweeping reform, Saturn in Aquarius both asks and offers a lot from those it touches. If there are grand designs you’ve been meaning to seed and bear water over to, it might be time to fertilize or get off the pot.
To that end, we have a Mercury-Mars trine today, which should help with administration, delegation, research, and generally accomplishing tasks with the weapon of information. This tool can easily be misused though, and there is a higher-than-normal chance of cutting words and shit-talk. Be aware that your tongue may have been sharpened by imps in the night, lest you cut down those undeserving. This is especially true since Mercury will make harsh contact with Uranus, master of revelations and revolution. There may be unpleasant surprises in store. Stay loose and ready to go limp in the wake of any bombshell truths.
Still, there should be a lot of positive to focus on today. The Moon in Aries is sandwiched between both benefics in the day time, lending a positive auspice to efforts at self-betterment and healthy competition. By evening, the moon will run across Chiron, so try not to take any setbacks to heart. Even bitter lessons hold wisdom.
This week also sees the Sun locking into the nodes, and in fact, this is a continuation of the new moon’s configuration to them. As I wrote in my Pisces Season piece, this is “calling us to look hard at what doesn’t fit the plans and pictures we see for our futures, and thus must be ejected, and to a more limited degree, what should be added.” The Sun’s trine to the South Node and sextile to the North Node will be exact on Friday.
There is little to track but the moon for the rest of the week. Thursday (2/23) sees the moon square Pluto, and may leave some feeling chafed by issues of agency and control. On Friday (2/24,) on the day that the Sun is exactly configured to the nodes, she will also be conjunct to the North Node, a point of manifestation – possibly a good day to bring something real into the world, to cook or construct or otherwise make something physically happen. She then applies to Uranus overnight into early morning, possibly creating a very bizarre Friday night and/or Saturday (2/25) morning. Saturday night into Sunday (2/26) is interesting too, with the moon making contact with Neptune, then Saturn, and finally Pluto. This sounds like a fun night gone wrong: Neptune creates opportunities for artistic immersion, fantasies, delusions and altered states; a square to Saturn implies consequences; a trine to Pluto creates potential for both deep emotional exploration and for debauchery. Your mileage may vary, and I wish you a pleasant night!
By Monday (2/27,) Venus will have crept up close enough to be conjunct to Jupiter, though the exact conjunction will not be until 3/2. Now, there is something of a pile-up happening in Aries, involving the planets Venus and Jupiter, as well as the asteroids Chiron and Vesta. With this much all smashed together, it can be difficult to pick apart the effects. I wrote about them extensively in the Pisces Season piece. To try and sum up: we may find it more difficult to connect to what we desire with Venus in Aries, or even to know what it is that we want, and the efforts made toward this may be considerable. This pile-up offers Venus a glimpse at what she may hold sacred, a north star to guide her, may show her the ways to grow strong and healthy, and how to move past insecurity and heal from trauma. The latter may involve some of the unpleasantness reemerging, if only as a hurdle to clear. Meanwhile, Venus offers Jupiter’s drive at improvement some spunky grace, perhaps some artistic growth or some brash-but-useful contacts. While all this is going on, the moon is running over Mars in Gemini, throwing some extra pepper onto this simmering steak.
Finally, Tuesday (2/28) sees another important conjunction begin to tighten in earnest. This is yet another exclamation mark on Saturn, provided by his conjunction with Mercury. The moon will also make contact by trine here, lending more emphasis still on this pair. They won’t be exactly conjunct until 3/2, the same day that Venus-Jupiter are partile. A bit more on this conjunction from my Pisces Season piece: “Mercury’s winged-feet are heavier under Saturn’s influence, though as a consequence, his truths are usually more dense and cutting as well, a heavy scythe wielded with surgical precision. Mercury represents the young and Saturn the old, and interesting results are birthed from this combination. I most often think of a Maron-esque stand-up comic, turning grief into levity without letting you forget its weight. There is satire at play under this combination. Mercury’s psychopomp status is at play here too; he’s the last planet to touch Saturn in Aquarius before it ‘passes on,’ ferrying it on across the sign boundary into Pisces.” As a consequence, the day may have a touch of the sardonic. But having Mercury focused in on Saturnine issue may also yield innovation, solutions that might not have been reached had the messenger been free to fly high and daydream, only possible while pounding the pavement. It may be a good day to take a walk and allow the solutions to percolate up to you organically.
The Sun will enter Pisces just as it is setting tonight in the Northeast. There’s some poetry in this: Pisces is the final sign of the zodiac by many cultures’ reckonings (though certainly not all,) and as such, the end of the Sun’s journey before its loop begins anew. This may be part of the reason for the somewhat existential quality of the Sun’s time in Pisces, which plops identity into the torrents of feeling, the hammering eddies of experience, and asks it to either adapt to the full weight of these blows or dissolve. And oddly, the Sun is happier here than it was in Aquarius, for it is easier to find a persona centered in spiritual and emotional tumult than it is when focused on the world’s systems and taxonomies. Jupiter’s influence means that the Sun does still seek others here, and is usually thought to seek them with things in the deeply-felt but immaterial: with art and with acts of service and religious leadership. But Pisces is in many ways the most adaptable of the Sun signs, and its sense of self can be melted and poured into many different types of role, though it will always bring the river of feeling with it. I have seen administration and accountancy invested with the full-hearted care of a Sun in Pisces native. What may seem mundane from the outside might be epic poetry to the one who’s in its throes.
While preparing my write-up on this solar month, I noticed less significant dates than last month, but the dates that do hit punch hard. We have a lunation right off the bat, so let’s start there.
The New Moon in Pisces takes place on Sunday night, 2/19. I wrote about this in my weekly write-up this past Wednesday, and I’ll post those remarks here: “Though it is in a different sign, this lunation happens right on top of Saturn, heralding Saturn’s imminent movement into Pisces and calling on us to conclude any business we have with his current position of strength in Aquarius, its power to organize, set goals, structure teams, see the big picture that could lead to lasting change. We have until the Full Moon in Virgo on 3/7 to do so – this is truly the last call for Saturn in Aquarius until the year 2050. The lunation also occurs close to the nodes, calling us to look hard at what doesn’t fit the plans and pictures we see for our futures, and thus must be ejected, and to a more limited degree, what should be added.” Yes, Saturn will indeed be making its entry into Pisces shortly. More on that later. Outside of its proximity to Saturn and its aspect to the nodes, this moon doesn’t really pull in any other planets by classical aspect. If anything, this puts even more of an exclamation point on Saturn.
The lunation (and the Sun’s entire passage through Pisces) is classically ruled by Jupiter, who represents the gifts and talents we’re drawn toward and are able to share with our fellow man. Jupiter’s currently in Aries, which may see some being pulled into more dynamic, active sections of their lives, places which prize their personal power and agency. Jupiter has some interesting activity during this time, most notable being his long conjunction to Chiron, which will begin to lock in around 2/20, which will be exact on 3/10, and which will only begin to dissipate around the end of March. Chiron is an asteroid which primarily represents insecurities, and Jupiter’s expansive nature may unfortunately exacerbate painful and uncomfortable feelings for some, especially as concerns capability. But Chiron makes our wounds itch as it heals them, and Jupiter is known as the Great Benefic, so this may be a period where many work through such issues.
And that’s not all! Venus will join this party around 2/26, her conjunction to Jupiter becoming exact to Jupiter on 3/2, then to Chiron on 3/3. More on this in just a moment. For now, suffice it to say that issues around the power of beauty and femininity, as well as the ability to connect with others, things in this realm are more likely to loom larger in this time. After Venus moves on, another asteroid called Vesta will also pop by, joining the Jupiter-Chiron conjunction on 3/11. In truth, my knowledge of Vesta is not deep, and I do not usually take notice of her motion unless she is doing something particularly noticeable – like she is here. So how does she contribute to this mixture? Vesta seems to be about the purity of sacred commitment, an area you hold and maintain space for in your life as a matter of sacrament, even if others don’t understand it. Jupiter-Chiron may reveal new places to take this commitment, how to strengthen and refine it, how to make space for it if you haven’t been able. In antiquity, this referred to Vestal virgins maintaining an eternal flame. For us, it could be literally anything – look to where Vesta falls in your chart to learn more.
Jumping back to Venus: she will enter Aries on 2/20, just after the new moon. I wrote a bit about Venus’ flavor in Aries on Wednesday: “Venus enters Aries’ just after the new moon, on Monday (2/20.) While Venus’ time in Pisces made the alluring feel effortless, Venus in Aries inverts that. It may be more brash, more glitzy, more attention-getting, but these are generally artifice. Venus in Aries is traditionally the sign of the tomboy, though the unfolding flux in the rhetoric around gender identity might be cause for redefinition here. Either way, Aries is ruled by Mars, driven to accomplish and to root out problems. Mars is a severing energy. Venus is a connecting energy. Thus, Venus is usually thought to be less comfortable in Aries, though natives here put great effort into the appearance of comfort. There may be the confidence of someone who has it down to a science (Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor are all Venus in Aries natives,) but it’s different than the person with a strong Venus who never had to try much at all.” Jupiter-Chiron may make the struggles of this Venus more pronounced, but may also make the effects of her efforts more effective.
All of this is ruled over by Mars, who is still in Gemini after all this time. This is the final solar month that this will be true, as he will make ingress into Cancer during Aries Season. Because it is a Mars of plans and discussions, we may find much of this Jupiter-Chiron activity playing out through conversation, writing, gathering information, and the like. With this is mind, lean on Gemini’s natural adaptability to try many different ways to get out of your own mind, lest you drive yourself crazy.
And we do have some crazy-making transits inbound! For example, Mercury in Aquarius will square Uranus in Taurus exactly on 2/21, and will make an exact trine to Mars the next day. More from this week: “Mercury is truth, research, conversation; Uranus is revelation and earth-shattering surprise. There is a higher-than-likely chance of having your mind blown during this transit, and of the scientifically-curious poking their nose in the wrong bear cave. Expect the unexpected! And if there’s something you really don’t want to see, just expect it and it might not happen at all! Uranus always throws you a curveball. But if the irrefutable finds you, you must accept it, or that same curveball will crack your skull.“
On 3/2 (the same day as the Venus-Jupiter conjunction,) Mercury will be exactly conjunct Saturn in it hits anaretic degree, though the conjunction will begin to click into orb sooner than that, around 2/28. Mercury’s winged-feet are heavier under Saturn’s influence, though as a consequence, his truths are usually more dense and cutting as well, a heavy scythe wielded with surgical precision. Mercury represents the young and Saturn the old, and interesting results are birthed from this combination. I most often think of a Maron-esque stand-up comic, turning grief into levity without letting you forget its weight. There is satire at play under this combination. Mercury’s psychopomp status is at play here too; he’s the last planet to touch Saturn in Aquarius before it “passes on,” ferrying it on across the sign boundary into Pisces.
Of course, Mercury will lead the charge on that front. He enters Pisces later that very night, on 3/2. Mercury doesn’t do so great in Pisces. It’s almost like that great, surging torrent of emotional experience that we mentioned at the top of this piece is…I don’t know, hard to sum up in a report? Like it’s hard to express the ineffable? Like you’re trying to do a book report on Encyclopedia Brittanica?I’ve found that it can be good for songwriters and fantastical storytellers, those who favor the dream-reason of the poetic over the actual-reason of the good journalist. In any event, he’ll lose even more strength as he gets closer to the Sun. More on that later.
The Full Moon in Virgo is on 3/6 (though it technically becomes exact the following morning around 7:30 a.m.) That same day, Saturn’s makes its ingress into Pisces. Mars will have already begun locking into a square with Neptune that will color the last half of the solar month, denoting that efforts to knock things off of one’s hitlist are likely to run into fogs of confusion, delay, that more enticing distractions will be on offer. These may also take the form of various substances that look like they’d be fun to abuse. Mars will also be casting squares to the Sun and Moon here, creating an aspect pattern which is classed a T-Square. The result is that this lunation is more likely to be colored by the Sagittarian: by wild, colorful displays and personalities, by institutional dogma, by excess and fixation on one subject or activity, by the raucous gatherings of inebriated centaurs. Your mileage may vary. This full moon also occurs in near-exact trine to Uranus, so some big surprises and revelations may be in store.
Saturn is leaving Aquarius, one of its natural homes. Saturn does well in the realm of Air, where its gifts of rigor and organization can be applied to information, the realm of databases and registries and such. It’s different in Pisces, more akin to a fish ladder, the realm of the naturalist, a set of organizing principles applied to that which defies organization. When one applies Saturn’s principles to the natural world, we get zoos and inaccurate terminology like “fish.” Still, these sorts of things are helpful in the unwinnable-but-survivable effort to make sense of the world, and in that vein, we may find ourselves defining our hearts, our feelings, our personal mythos.
The end of the Sun’s time is Pisces sees it drawing closer to Neptune, getting within close orb by 3/12 (though the Sun has a larger orb, so it will be felt as far back as 3/5.) This means that an already very fluid, porous sense of self is going to pass through a giant ocean of the mythic and fantastic. Neptune is the collective unconscious, the great sea of dreams and nightmares, and celestial objects passing through its sphere of influence seem to undergo massive distortion. What’s more, Mercury will have begun to really catch up to the Sun by this time, its voice getting more and more drowned out as it gets further “under the beams,” finally reaching a state known as combustion where the Sun is said to devour its power. This may feel reminiscent of a Mercury retrograde to some; communication may become difficult, brains may become foggier, technology may cease to function.
This will all culminate on 3/16, when the Sun, Mercury and Neptune all occupy the same degree in what is known as a stellium, a fancy term for a conjunction of multiple planets. On that same day, Mars will be in an exact square to the pile-up of planets mentioned, so all of the hazy volatility of the full moon will be on offer here. The stellium will also be catching a sextile from Pluto, and it is on this same day that Venus’ square with Pluto will be exact. Needless to say, there’s quite a lot going on: the Venus-Pluto square speaks to issues of power and control and unexamined impulses surrounding what we are drawn to. The Mars square to the Sun-Mercury-Neptune square seems to speak to hostile feelings around how the shaping of narrative affects our sense of self, and more to the point, our ability to act. Here, the least likely actor may make the most stirring speech: Mercury sits in a condition known as cazimi, speaking loudly and clearly from within the Sun’s heart. This feels like the beaten-down finding a voice.
Following this, Venus will make ingress into Taurus on 3/17, where she will be immediately be conjunct to Juno, an asteroid which deals with partnership and commitment. Whatever trials and tribulations Venus experienced in Aries now carry her into a place of strength, one of her strongest positions, ready to luxuriate in her favorite sensations and find a worthy lover. (Again, mileage may vary.) The conjunction to Juno will be exact on 3/21, atop the North Node. The North Node is a manifestation point oft-associated with prosperity, and this seems like a good time to get married or otherwise cement a partnership.
Mercury meanwhile makes his entry into Aries a day or so later, late at night on Saturday 3/18. This is more focused and direct Mercury, focused and plain-speaking, a Hemingway looking to argue down any Fitzgerald who looks at him funny.
Finally, the Sun will ingress into Aries on 3/21, along with the moon, making this the New Moon in Aries. But this lunation is outside of the scope of this article, and will have to wait. Until then, here are some notable dates:
2/19 – New Moon in Pisces.
2/20 – Venus’ ingress into Aries. Jupiter’s conjunction to Chiron begins to lock into place. Mercury locks into a trine with Mars and a square with Uranus.
2/21 – Mercury’s square with Uranus is exact. Moon in Pisces runs across Neptune.
2/22 – Mercury’s trine to Mars is exact.
2/24 – Sun in Pisces configured to the nodes by soft aspect.
2/27 – Venus applies to a conjunction with Jupiter and Chiron. Mercury applies to a conjunction with Saturn.
3/2 – Venus-Jupiter-Chiron conjunct in Aries (Jupiter and Venus exact,) Mercury-Saturn exactly conjunct in Aquarius. Mercury makes ingress into Pisces late that night.
3/7 – Full Moon in Virgo, Saturn’s ingress into Pisces. Mars squares Neptune.
3/11 – Jupiter-Chiron-Vesta all exactly conjunct in Aries, Venus sextile Mars exactly.
3/12 – Mars square to Neptune is exact. Sun-Mercury-Neptune conjunction is tightening in Pisces.
3/16 – Sun-Mercury-Neptune are all exactly conjunct in Pisces, and in an exact square to Mars. They are also in a sextile to Pluto who is exactly square to Venus in her anaretic degree.
3/17 – Venus’ ingress into Taurus, immediately applying to a conjunction with Juno, sextile Saturn and square to the moon.
3/18 – Mercury makes ingress into Aries.
3/20 – Venus-North Node-Juno conjunction in Taurus (Venus-NN exact.)
3/21 – Sun and Moon both enter Aries, marking the New Moon in Aries.
Last week proved eventful. In the wake of that big Full Moon in Leo, a chunk of the sun was ejected from one of its poles, causing some sort of solar whirlwind. The US Government has shot down a few objects that they are calling UFOs, not currently ruling out the possibility that they could be extra-terrestrial, which seems like a pretty big sneak preview into Pluto’s imminent ingress into Aquarius. And lastly, a little inside baseball: the conjunction of Mercury and Pluto in Capricorn caused a (metaphorical) firestorm in the astrology community, reigniting a dormant-but-spicy, decades-spanning scholarly debate; if it’s nothing that you particularly care about, dear reader (and unless you’re a professional astrologer, why would you?) just know that it’s a very heady debate (Mercury) reaching back into antiquity (Capricorn) to discern the origins and usages (Capricorn) of what many purport to be the progenitor (Capricorn) of a multitude of related systems (Mercury) that are used to cast and read an astrological chart (Mercury.) Check out Chris Brennan and Deb Houlding’s socials if you care to know more, and maybe don a hazmat suit if you want to lurk the comments sections. And if this is not resonant, I still wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve seen other hot-topic debates crop up out of the woodwork again – the controversy over the release of the new Harry Potter game comes to mind, itself being just an old controversy playing out anew.
Anyway, let’s get to the here and now.
We talked at length last week about the Venus-Neptune conjunction, which was clicking into place throughout the week. Today it is exact at 24 degrees Pisces, and we find ourselves immersed in the mixology of these two planets of deep, intoxicating feelings. Venus is what we are drawn toward, attracted to, luxuriate in, and Neptune represents the universal. Allowing oneself to dissolve into fantasy, the spiritual, or even just a warm bath seem like good possible currents to get pulled along, inhibitions be damned. However, given some of the other conditions of the day, there are probably several things to deal with before you take some time for either self-care or the dreamy ecstasy of ego death. The Moon in Sagittarius casts a square to this configuration, which could throw a dogmatic shade on impulses toward revelry, especially as the Sun-Saturn conjunction is tightening (more on this later.) Mercury will also be squaring the nodes on this day, meaning that there may be some admin to be done before it’s time to relax, perhaps an important conversation to have. It may also speak to the gravity of irresponsible things done under the influence, so tread carefully and fasten your safety belt before the ride begins.
The Sun-Saturn conjunction becomes exact the following day, Thursday 2/16. This influence has probably been felt throughout the past week or so, and was certainly a topic in last week’s column: “[This conjunction] may leave some feeling like a certain structure or order is being back-burnered, overshadowed. Planets in close proximity are subsumed by [the Sun’s] power, even in scenarios like this where Saturn is strong and the Sun is weak. The Sun may take on some of Saturn’s qualities temporarily, which could lead to an authoritarian streak in some, an innovative, humanitarian streak in others.” On Thursday, however, we get a condition known as cazimi, where as planet is visible in the eye of the Sun and the drowned-out signal is instead temporarily amplified. Saturn in its place of strength will come through loud and clear today, speaking truth to law and order, to civics and progress. Speaking of progress, our personal gains may come into focus today, as both the Moon and Mercury make aspects to Jupiter, likely casting aspersions on our current rate of growth while causing us to think about how we can do better. The Moon’s involvement is a motivating-but-vexing square while will pass by the evening, but Mercury’s influence will tighten and become its most intense the following evening, on Friday 2/17.
Friday will also see the Moon run across Pluto, potentially drawing up secrets and deeply-buried feelings, especially given its sextile to the Venus-Neptune conjunction. If unseen influences are placing a level of control or restrictions over your personal enjoyment, this transit may invite you to examine whether or not that must be. You may also see an echo of Mercury’s transit of Pluto last week, and anything its psychopompic influence may have unearthed.
Saturday (2/18) sees the Moon cross over Mercury in Aquarius, casting an alien gaze at our hearts, as though feeling must be processed in code. Though ironically, our minds may feel sluggish and motivation may be in short supply, as the Sun is in the final degree of Aquarius, putting vitality is on its last leg. Still, we may get slapped awake by the moon crossing over the nodes, potentially triggering Uranus and some unexpected situations we could be called upon to deal with. The Moon will catch a helpful ray from Mars if we find ourselves called upon to gather ourselves, roll up our sleeves and get the job done.
The Sun enters Pisces on Sunday, 2/19, and a Pisces Season article is forthcoming. For now, suffice it to say that the Sun is generally a little happier in Pisces than in Aquarius, has a little more sense of self and self-interest even if the boundaries of identity are porous, even melty. Pisces’ association with Jupiter means that it is often equated with Jupiter’s drives to expansiveness, to the spiritual, and its designation as the Mutable Water sign means that it is often left with the question of what to do with its wealth of feeling. This makes Pisces the sign of both pastor and poet, not necessarily trying to make sense of it all but most certainly trying to express it all, to experience it all, to act on the heart. Of course, your mileage may vary and this description does not fit every Pisces, as a birth chart is much more than just where your Sun resides. Still, this description will likely color the solar month; we can further add that since Jupiter is in Aries, this period may take on a tone of competitiveness, of drive to accomplish, of assertion of a more pronounced persona.
The day is also colored by the moon’s passage over Saturn, pinging issues of order and control from earlier in the week and applying rigor to feelings and appetites. Venus is in the last degree of Pisces today, making a potentially beneficial contact with Pluto. “Potentially” if deep examination over what is pleasurable and why is appealing, or has caused any grief that should be worked through. Venus’ anaretic degree and proximity to Neptune may make it difficult to concretely define these things, but there’s a chance to get the ball rolling.
That night will also be the New Moon in Pisces. Though it is in a different sign, this lunation happens right on top of Saturn, heralding Saturn’s imminent movement into Pisces and calling on us to conclude any business we have with his current position of strength in Aquarius, its power to organize, set goals, structure teams, see the big picture that could lead to lasting change. We have until the Full Moon in Virgo on 3/7 to do so – this is truly the last call for Saturn in Aquarius until the year 2050. The lunation also occurs close to the nodes, calling us to look hard at what doesn’t fit the plans and pictures we see for our futures, and thus must be ejected, and to a more limited degree, what should be added.
Venus enters Aries’ just after the new moon, on Monday (2/20.) While Venus’ time in Pisces made the alluring feel effortless, Venus in Aries inverts that. It may be more brash, more glitzy, more attention-getting, but these are generally artifice. Venus in Aries is traditionally the sign of the tomboy, though the unfolding flux in the rhetoric around gender identity might be cause for redefinition here. Either way, Aries is ruled by Mars, driven to accomplish and to root out problems. Mars is a severing energy. Venus is a connecting energy. Thus, Venus is usually thought to be less comfortable in Aries, though natives here put great effort into the appearance of comfort. There may be the confidence of someone who has it down to a science (Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor are all Venus in Aries natives,) but it’s different than the person with a strong Venus who never had to try much at all.
Monday also sees Mercury move into a square with Uranus, a hostile aspect that will become exact the following day, on Tuesday 2/21. Mercury is truth, research, conversation; Uranus is revelation and earth-shattering surprise. There is a higher-than-likely chance of having your mind blown during this transit, and of the scientifically-curious poking their nose in the wrong bear cave. Expect the unexpected! And if there’s something you really don’t want to see, just expect it and it might not happen at all! Uranus always throws you a curveball. But if the irrefutable finds you, you must accept it, or that same curveball will crack your skull.
Three big conjunctions (in successive signs, no less) loom large over this week: Mercury-Pluto in Capricorn, Sun-Saturn in Aquarius, and Venus-Neptune in Pisces. We’ll go over each in turn.
The disparity between where we are and where we dream to be looms large today, as the moon opposes Neptune. Not a reason to lose heart, but a reason to reassess with an eye on the practical. A cool mind can accompany a hot heart, even if yours is still incandescent from Sunday’s Full Moon in Leo. Venus also forms an exact sextile to Uranus today, a playful dare to take a risk on an experience that might be wonderful. There is also rich potential in plumbing mental depths this week, as Mercury sidles up to its heavy conjunction with Pluto. This aspect will color the week, may even have been palpable for the past couple of days, and may create an environment that fosters mental fixation, deep research, endless Wikipedia rabbit holes, and the like. It may also conjure feelings of inadequacy from some, or an inability to properly communicate, or otherwise be reminiscent of a Mercury Retrograde. Planets passing over Pluto tend to get pressure-tested, unmade and reborn, or feel like they’re trying to operate from the bottom of a well. Venus and the Sun recently passed through Pluto’s harrowing gates, but Mercury is more nimble, more flexible, more adaptable, and he should have an easier time adjusting to these cthonic halls. Enjoy the ride but don’t obsess over it! Mercury and Pluto will reach and exact conjunction on Friday, 2/10.
Thursday (2/9) sees the moon move into Libra, opposing Jupiter, then moving into a trine with Mars by evening. A hurdle to progress is followed by a second wind.
Friday (2/10) is more eventful. In addition to the conjunction of Mercury and Pluto, mentioned above, the moon will cast a ray on the tightening trine between the Sun and Saturn. This is another conjunction that will color the week and spill into the next, and may leave some feeling like a certain structure or order is being back-burnered, overshadowed. Planets in close proximity are subsumed by its power, even in scenarios like this where Saturn is strong and the Sun is weak. The Sun may take on some of Saturn’s qualities temporarily, which could lead to an authoritarian streak in some, an innovative, humanitarian streak in others. This is also foreshadowing Saturn’s upcoming shift into Pisces, a bookend on its time in its place of dignity. More on that next week. Jumping back to Mercury, here are some thoughts on the matter from my Aquarius Season piece:
“With Pluto, Mercury may feel either feel powered-up or like it’s at the bottom of a well depending on where one’s brain likes to live. There is psychopomp-level access to what lurks below the surface of things on offer today, but it might be a step or two more difficult to make basic small talk, especially with the moon’s aspects to heavy and visceral currents.“
Saturday (2/11) sees Mercury’s ingress into Aquarius. Though Pluto’s effects still linger, the messenger planet has left Capricorn’s rocky confines behind and soars skyward on a sustained current. More on Mercury from that Aquarius Season piece: “While it is not one of his domiciles, Mercury does seem a natural fit here, and indeed some modern astrologers consider it his exultation. One can see why: he’s free here to thinking freely and conceptually, to take in the big picture. Mercury is the planet of inventors and innovators, and Aquarius loves both of those things. If there’s anything to find fault with here, it may be that Aquarius’ impersonal tendencies could make this a less empathetic Mercury, not as skilled at subtle communication. Still, Venus’ presence in a place of strength should mitigate that particular weakness during this period. Mercury will remain in Aquarius until 3/2.” Meanwhile, the moon passes over the South Node, an eclipse point of the moon associated with disintegration. Today is a day of filling minds and emptying hearts, and as the moon will also cast a challenging aspect to Mercury, actions spurned by those impulses may be in direct conflict.
By Sunday (2/12) Venus will have gotten very close to Neptune. The planet of love and connection is joining together with the force that connects all by dissolving them and pouring them into the same giant pot of collective unconscious. Aquarius Season again: “For some, this may be too much of a good thing; Venus in Pisces is already sort of up for any type of experience, and Neptune is the gateway to all emotional states and experiences, the great sea of imagination. This is a great time to lose oneself in a fantasy world, in a whirlwind romance, an exotic getaway. It may also manifest as a crazy bender. As ever, your mileage may vary.” Good for tossing inhibitions, embracing the psychedelic, or just allowing yourself some deep, vivid dream experiences. The conjunction becomes exact on Wednesday, 2/15.
On Monday (2/13,) the moon will throw more even more water onto that wet-wet conjunction by casting a beneficial ray on the Venus-Neptune conjunction. This may lead to emotional overflow, but should also be a good day to focus on self-care and artistic indulgence and/or expression. At the same time, the moon casts an angry gaze toward the Sun-Saturn conjunction, and it may be that this is a challenging Monday for those looking to organize or get down to business. Don’t court a fight with your boss today.
That Venus-Neptune conjunction should come in handy if you’re looking to melt into another person on Tuesday, Valentine’s Day (2/14,) though the moon’s opposition to Mars could make that a testy prospect for those that do not respect boundaries or ignore warning signs. It could be a good day for couples activities, as long as they don’t get too competitive, frustrating or otherwise contentious. The moon’s trine to Jupiter is encouraging for maintaining a good-natured spirit. For the single, it could be a great day to lose yourself in a favorite pursuit, packing it in for the day if it ceases to be enjoyable.
We open in media res, albeit in a small break in the action. The moon is past all of her major aspects this morning, and so the day may begin feeling stuck in the mud, despite all of the momentum provided by last week’s dynamic movements of Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Things should get moving again by mid-afternoon, as the moon enters cardinal Cancer, and by evening will be shining her light onto exalted Venus in Pisces. The highlight on Venus should make it a pleasant night, though the impulse to deal with ongoing projects may feel like it’s intruding on pleasantries as the moon will also run into a square with Jupiter.
This array of aspects persists through Thursday (2/2,) where Venusian concerns may grow particularly hot and heavy, what with her making partile configurations to the nodes, and as she begins to lock into a square with newly-mobile Mars. Whether you’re making art or love here, or if you’re even just taking in culture, there’s a significance here which feels like a balloon of pent-up emotion being popped. Hopefully, it’s all the ecstatic parts or release for you, not another bubble being burst. The actors in this picture also point to the simple truth that making the sweeter things in life happen can take a little effort, and you may feel called on to roll your sleeves up and peel that delicious and juicy piece of fruit. This Venus-Mars square will perfect on the full moon. More on that in a moment.
Friday (2/3) brings a bit of a rollercoaster as the moon finds herself in opposition to Mercury in the morning, Pluto in the evening, and in a soft aspect to Neptune midday. Among other things, the moon represents hearts and appetites, and this will place a big brick wall between her and structured communication – not a productive day for office meetings. Pluto, meanwhile, turns the earth below into concrete; while you know something big is going on beneath the surface of things, it is either impossible to parse out what that is, or so repulsive that you wouldn’t want to. The trine to Neptune is a saving grace on the day, as we’re more likely to go limp and tune out into various comforts. There’s a higher likelihood of missing important messages this day, or flaking on important tasks, so don’t let yourself drift away completely.
Saturday (2/4) could be the fallout to something missed, or it could be a completely new issue, but it’s coming in hot either way. The Sun locks into an exact square with Uranus here, master of revelation and revolution. Surprises are likely, and while I don’t make predictions about such things, it is within expectation that we might see some shocking headlines about big-name figures on this day, especially those of a counter-culture or iconoclastic bent. You may see a smaller-scale version of this in your circle. The effect would be difficult to call given Uranus’ general unpredictability, but given that it’s a square, it’s probably not good: a sudden accident, a reputation-ruining scandal, that sort of thing. Though this aspect is just now becoming exact, it has been locking in for the past week or so.
In fact, as I write this I think of the recent news about Justin Roiland, who would probably fit this bill – if not for himself, then for the characters he gave life and voice to. Looking back on that particular story: the news broke just after the moon made contact with Mercury Rx (significant because the story was actually about a domestic violence allegation from two years prior,) and Mercury had just clicked into an exact trine to the North Node-Uranus conjunction. Then Adult Swim officially cut ties with him just as the Sun (fresh off a conjunction to Pluto) clicked into a square with North Node-Uranus, in what many would consider the minimum orb for the Sun. Worth noting and has been on my mind.
Sunday (2/5) brings us the Full Moon in Leo, which occurs in square to Uranus and the nodes. Whatever I said about Sun-Uranus matters yesterday goes double here. This occurs on the same day that Venus locks into a partile square with Mars (though she’ll be just past it by the time of the actual lunation,) so what was written above about their relationship also gets doubled-down this weekend. It’s a highly-charged day that carries the full boil of influences which have been bubbling up. Here is an excerpt from my Aquarius Season piece:
“The Moon in Leo is a demand for attention, a scream for the sensational amid all of this cold Aquarian logic, a cue for brightly-plumed personalities to take the stage. This lunation takes place square to Uranus and the nodes, meaning it may set some things into motion that can’t be taken back, for good or ill. There is also a trine to the pile-up in Aries: Jupiter, Juno, and Chiron…who will likely lend courage to many trying to project from their diaphragm. The moon will also be sextile to Mars, which should do the same vis-a-vis gumption, but this is also the same time that Mars will be square to Venus. Drama is likely with this moon, but so is self-assertion and self-acceptance.”
The wake of an intense weekend leads into Monday (2/6,) where the asteroids Juno and Chiron become conjunct. Juno asks us to commit, and Chiron asks us to heal. At the same time, Mercury will be making a trine to Neptune, structured logic dissolving as it explores a world of the ineffable. The whole array of aspects feels like art therapy to me. Take that as you will. Mercury also begins to lock into a conjunction with Pluto, a pressurized, airlock gate to the underworld through which we have recently seen both Venus and the Sun pass. More on this next week, but suffice it to say that some deep ruminations may be incoming or already underway.
Tuesday (2/7) has the Moon in Virgo opposing Venus, possibly providing reminders that what we are drawn to is not always what is good for us. Uranus and Mars are still in the mix of influences here, so the heads-up may not be so gentle. Enjoy with care.
Boom Boom Astro 