February 2010: Reflection Decreases Stress

There is an underlying energy during the first few weeks of February. The energy is a stellium in Aquarius with the Sun, Venus, Chiron, and Neptune which is strengthened by an applying Chiron/Neptune conjunction. This Aquarius energy will be very strong until February 17th, when Chiron forms the conjunction to Neptune.

Aquarius represents the need to understand your relationship with friends and acquaintances in your life. It focuses on group activities and the importance these activities have in your life. If you are avoiding people, you may find yourself slipping into deeper feelings of isolation and loneliness than ever before. If you are so busy with group activities that you have no time for yourself, you may feel overwhelmed and even manipulated by others. Either way, you need to look at your life and determine whether the amount of time you’re spending with other people is either too little or too much.

Understanding your dreams is also very important during the first few weeks of this month. If you don’t keep a dream journal, you may want to start. The dreams that you’re having are really bits of information which could help you heal from stress. The dreams can also be ways that your mind is releasing any stress you’ve accumulated during the day.

There is a second underlying energy throughout the entire month of February: Mars which went retrograde on December 20, 2009 and is still retrograde throughout this month. With Mars retrograde, it is not uncommon to require more sleep than usual. Energy levels are low. You may even feel inertia when it comes to starting new projects. Just relax and let your vitality replenish.

On February 3rd, Mercury forms a conjunction to the Moon’s North Node. The Moon’s North Node is seen as very important when dealing with matters of karma. Basically your mind may be working overtime trying to resolve old problems, especially with friends or acquaintances. On the other hand, you may have already resolved those problems and your mind is now focusing on new directions in your life.

Two days later, on February 5th, Jupiter forms a quincunx to Saturn retrograde. Jupiter represents the need for you to move beyond the boundaries others have established in your life. Meanwhile, Saturn represents the foundation you need to have in order to feel secure in your daily life. When a quincunx occurs, it means that you need to make adjustments between how far you want to extend yourself and how much you need to hold on to. Since this is the third and last time this aspect occurs in this cycle it may help to try and remember back to what decisions you made the other two times the aspect occurred which was on March 22, 2009 and August 19, 2009.

If you can’t remember, perhaps a few hints from the news may help. The top priority in March 2009 was the auto crisis which General Motors and Chrysler were undergoing. At the time they had until March 31, 2009 to meet specific business goals. They failed to meet those goals and both declared bankruptcy. In August 2009, the United States government’s “Cash for Clunkers” program almost ran out of money before it began because the demand for new cars was so high. Unfortunately the news for unemployment was grim. At that time it hovered around 10% but had not yet broken the barrier of 10%. It is interesting that at this point Toyota is pulling back on production of its cars due to a braking problem and General Motors is looking at ways to capitalize on Toyota’s problems.

As you make adjustments in your life, be cautious. You may not want to discuss all your plans with others because sometimes Saturn represents criticism. And, other people may criticize your plans as too innovative or too risky. If you do discuss any plans with people you trust and they voice concerns, listen to what they have to say and decide if there is any validity in their words. Unfortunately, unemployment will continue to be an economic problem. The job market will continue to be tight. Therefore, think twice if any of your plans mean changes in your career.

On February 6th, Mercury forms a sextile to Uranus and Jupiter forms a sextile to Pluto. This is really a day where you need to be careful with your words. It’s too easy to speak without thinking about the consequences. You may get excited about a new idea that just popped into your mind. You may want to move forward with plans and not have all the facts. Whatever you do, move slowly. There are opportunities out there but you still need to get more facts before you proceed.

The following two days are important as Venus forms a conjunction to Chiron on February 7th and a conjunction to Neptune on February 8th. There are so many different ways this energy could manifest. You might be in the cycle of your life where you’re looking for a relationship. If so, go out and socialize. You might not meet Mr. or Ms. Right, but you will have a great time and meet some wonderful new people.

Another way this energy could manifest is that you have not been feeling well and you need to take time to relax. Going to a spa and enjoying a good massage is not only relaxing but also very therapeutic. If you are an artist, you’ll be able to tune into your creative nature. Even if you’re not an artist, you’ll be able to come up with innovative solutions to problems.

Financially this is a strange two days. Neptune hides facts either through deceit or omission. If you need to negotiate any financial matters this is not the time to do it. Nor is this a good time to consider any new stock purchases. All the information you need is still not available.

The Aquarius stellium which was in effect at the beginning of the month did not have Mercury as part of the stellium. With Mercury entering Aquarius on February 10th, it now brings another energy to the stellium. If you had difficulties with a friend, this is a good day to resolve the problem. If you want to start a new project, you’ll be able to get all the facts you need.

Life seems quiet for a few days until February 12th when Mars retrograde forms a quincunx to Pluto. With Mars retrograde there’s a feeling of lethargy. It just seems more difficult to get things going. Now, with Mars retrograde forming a quincunx to Pluto, you feel a bit on edge. You may not have slept so well the night before. Or, you may feel that things aren’t getting done. The best thing to do today is just take it easy and not force anything. Mercury will form a trine to Saturn in the evening. At that time you’ll feel more focused.

The New Moon occurs in Aquarius on February 13th very close to the approaching conjunction that Chiron will make to Neptune. During this time you’ll encounter old friends that you haven’t seen in a while or meet new people who remind you of the old friends. Depending on your age, you may feel out of touch with your fun side. It’s very important to try and recapture that childlike quality where you were in awe of how wonderful life is. If you’re an artist, it’s going to be another great day to tune into your creative spirit. If you’re not an artist, you may find this creative spirit manifesting in a feeling of closeness with the universal spirit. A spiritual retreat or a day with people you love is a wonderful way to spend the day.

Because the day is so intense spiritually, you may feel a little scattered. Try not to make any major decisions at this time. It’s not the easiest thing to get all the information: You’ll hear what you want to hear, not necessarily what is being said.

February 14 through February 16th continue to be days of reflection. With Venus forming a quincunx to Saturn on February 14th, it’s important that you don’t take yourself too seriously. You don’t want to censor potentially good ideas because you haven’t solidified them yet. On February 15th, Venus forms a sextile to Pluto and Mars retrograde forms a sextile to Saturn. Any information which you received from reflection makes more sense now. You feel energized with new concepts. With Venus forming a conjunction to Jupiter on February 16th, you are able to see just where this information fits in with your sense of self worth. It’s as if you can think clearly for the first time in a few days.

On February 17th, Chiron forms a conjunction to Neptune and the energy of the Aquarius stellium starts abating. Where before group activities were important to you, it’s now time for you to really think about your needs. This is another good day for healing, whether you need to do something to take care of yourself or you want to resolve relationship problems with other people. You feel secure in your decisions. Your intuition is very high and can be used to understand situations better.

For the next few days things are quiet. When Mercury forms a sextile to Ceres on February 26th, more thoughts come up from your subconscious that can help you make decisions. This is especially true on February 27th when Mercury forms a conjunction to both Chiron and Neptune. Just don’t sign any contracts on these two days because getting factual information from other people will be difficult.

The month ends with a full Moon where the Sun is in Pisces and the Moon is in Virgo. If you busied yourself with activities and didn’t spend enough time meditating, you may find that little things bother you. But, if you took time to pause and reflect during the second half of this month, you’ll be able to determine what you need to do to improve your daily routine and decrease stress in your life.