The hardest part about being in this human experience is remembering that this reality is not real. I mean don’t get me wrong. Everything we see around us in a tangible, physical form is dense and appears solid. We have constant reminders of this everywhere. Try stubbing your toe, or biting into a succulent piece of fruit, or feeling that ache and pain in your knees after a good long walk or yoga class. However, we also know from our high school Chemistry class that with the right formula we can transform solid states into other forms. This offers a perspective that our reality is not static or real except what we perceive it to be. So how do we reshape our reality? We have to add an ingredient or formula we haven’t tried before. That is what all of this Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter in Capricorn has been begging us to do…transform our realities.
I have a feeling February will have us feeling as if we are surfers on the waves of a vast ocean we call our lives. As we look ahead, we will have some pretty gnarly energy to work with. I like the term gnarly for this month because it’s a term I associate with surfing. Surfing has some wonderful lessons we can adapt to our approach in life. Surfers know that it is important to choose, not just any wave, but the right wave. As we face whatever shows up for us, it will be important to use discernment about which wave we want to ride. The power of choice helps to create the freedom this Aquarian and Piscean month is craving. By choosing wisely, we will be able to manage our energy levels, fulfill commitments, and feel good in our current realities. Surfers also know that keeping an eye on your target is important as it steers you in the direction you want to go. This month will have quite a few distractions especially as Mercury moves into Pisces early in the month, and then retrogrades or dances back and forth over certain degrees from the middle of the month until the first two weeks of March. It’s a pretty long retrograde period that will require determined focus and extreme balance. One other piece of surfing advice is to “check the time period between the waves.” A perfect reminder that timing for certain conversations and actions are extremely important. especially as we navigate the dreamy waters of Pisces in the second half of February. I realize the frustration that time can bring us in this “instant gratification society” we live and swim in. However, I can also point to the number of times we are grateful that things and people showed up at just the right time, or on the other hand, happy it didn’t happen as we thought it should. Remember, that our timing and Divine timing are not always the same, but when it happens it is always PERFECT timing.
As the month begins, we have some beautiful and benefic energy as Venus is still in Pisces and sextiles with Pluto in Capricorn, while the Moon exalted in Taurus is trine to the South Node. This cosmic support can give us confirmation and opportunities that we are on the right path regarding hopes, dreams, and wishes being fulfilled. The 1st day of February could have us attracting powerful experiences that allow us to feel as though the past is behind us, and a new reality is beginning. We may attract powerful feminine energy that offers nurturing guidance to help us make concrete decisions that set us on a new path for quite some time. Many of us will be thrilled to root down into this new phase of life.
Our messenger planet Mercury races into Pisces on the 3rd, and quickly finds itself swimming in this dreamy, psychic, and compassionate sign. Mercury is considered in detriment here, meaning it doesn’t have the strongest activity it normally would when in its home signs of Gemini or Virgo. However, Mercury can wax poetic in Pisces and find itself writing big dreams, movie scripts, or communicating great compassion to a wounded world. Our listening skills may receive a necessary boost as Mercury in Pisces offers information through our senses, especially our sixth sense. Paying attention to the softer, more subtle information can offer us solutions and information we didn’t have access to previously because all the concrete facts were just too loud. If we are willing to set this month off with the intention and action to meditate more, seed our dream state more, avoid addictive behaviors, and use tools such as counseling, therapy, or healing modalities, we could find ourselves weathering the Mercury retrograde beginning February 15th with great grace and ease.
Our full moon in Leo on the 8th also has Venus moving into Aries. A beautiful fire trine takes shape, and invites us to gently shake off the residue of the past. I have an image of a lion shaking off water droplets on his mane after a gentle rainfall. He stands up, stretches and lets out a mighty roar. He surveys his pride land, sees his pride is safe and sound, and finds the activity that appeals to him most. We too can use this full moon to set our sights on what appeals to us next, and confidently and courageously go for it. There is a preciousness to this full moon as Venus and Chiron will be canoodling with each other the next day, attracting opportunities for healing our possibly wounded egos or hearts, or offering healing to another we may have intentionally or unintentionally wounded. There is also a good indication this conjunction could bring you a sweet and loving gift to help soothe your worries or doubts. It’s a perfect set up for the Valentine’s Day weekend, when we will be emphasizing the theme of love, self-care, and romance.
Speaking of Valentine’s Day, whether you are a fan of it or not, the cosmic energy will have a seductive quality to it with the Moon in sexy and intimacy seeking Scorpio, trine Mercury in fellow water sign Pisces. The conversations, proposals, and connections could be intensely delicious. If you are in a happily bonded relationship, this day should be one for the books for romantic overtures and sex. If you are single and want to mingle, this could be the night for a sexy encounter that just might establish a long-term bond. If you are one of the few who have been wrestling with how to end a relationship, this day supports the conversational tone as Mercury in Pisces is warm, caring and compassionate. In other words, you can let them down gently.
The energy of February 14th is not for romance alone, but applies to matters of varying categories. Getting contracts signed, completing negotiations, and accepting new offers are quite appropriate on or before this day. Whatever, we agree to, may be set in stone for quite some time. These long-term agreements are further supported with Mars moving into its exalted sign of Capricorn two days later. Mars in Capricorn offers staying power for any type of relationship, personal or professional. Mars will be in Capricorn until the end of March, and will be working hard to accomplish all the tasks set in front of him, achieve goals, and push plans through to completion. Remember the surfing advice, “Keep your eyes on your target.” Mars in Capricorn will help us do just that.
Yes, now, let’s talk about our child-like friend Mercury as it plays out its retrograde motion in Pisces. February 16th, our messenger planet will be moving right in between the Earth and the Sun. Mercury retrograde in Pisces will most likely be too drunk on the imaginal stories, spiritual highs, or psychic hits to deliver evidential information. If we expect someone to give us the answers to a problem, tell us the truthful facts, or use direct communication, we may be sorely disappointed. Listening with our senses will become much more useful, especially if the words being heard or read are not congruent with what is being felt in our bodies. This is a perfect time to use our divination tools, meditate or dream in answers, and trust our psychic abilities for answers needed to make decisions. This is also a wonderful time to create beauty with our words, writing, or tantric practices. Keep in mind that whatever we create will most likely be seen with rose-colored glasses, and when Mercury goes direct in March, we will have to face the truth of things. My advice would be that we practice the art of non-attachment during this time, and play with the concept that reality is what we are dreaming it to be versus what actually is. This is also a perfect time to deepen the belief of “believe it then see it.” Play around with this idea and notice what appears.
On February 19th, the Sun moves into our sweet, compassionate, dreamy sign of Pisces. This signals to us that a new moon will be forthcoming in the next few days ahead. The new moon in Pisces offers us a chance to seed our dreams with psychic hits that offer more self-compassion and compassion to others in order to create a higher vibration on this planet. We may be feeling the urge to manifest these dreams immediately or forcefully receive a long awaited breakthrough on a particular matter as Mars in Capricorn will be at a perfect sextile to this new moon. This could be the answers we were waiting for from something long ago. Remember that Mercury is still retrograde at this time, which could bring someone or something from our past back for review.
As the month concludes we will have Venus canoodling with the Moon in Aries, which may bring us a bit of dramatic flair in our relationships. This of course could go either way, but most likely will give us a chance to cut through the foggy mercurial energy and say the things that need to be said to ourselves or another about a particular situation. I can see many of us declaring our love to someone, speaking to what we need in a particular relationship or financial situation, or speaking truth in a way that is clear, concise and direct. Notice what happens when we speak directly and truthfully? There tends to be a varied amount of reactions. If this happens to us it is an invitation to choose the right wave to ride or wait for the right time to approach the next set of waves coming towards us. Yes, I would venture to say that as the month ends we may be saying, “That was a gnarly wave, Dude!”, and I couldn’t think of anyone better to surf with.
