The month of February begins with Jupiter turning retrograde on February 1, 2005. This sets the tone for the entire month, which is one of reflection and healing. Jupiter retrograde, which lasts until June 5, 2005, means that it’s time to emphasize long-term planning. It’s a time to consider the direction of your life. Because Jupiter rules spiritual goals, as well as long-term planning, it’s important to consider your long-term goals within the context of your spiritual needs.

In some senses, Jupiter retrograde represents a closing phase of activities and relationships. If you are dissatisfied with your job, this is a good time to look for a new one. Your search will be based on the need to find a new position that satisfies your spiritual needs. If your relationships are not supportive, it’s time to address this situation and perhaps, leave the old relationships and start new ones.

This is an interesting time if you are a business owner or consultant. Each year, it’s wise to review the past growth of your business and determine the future direction of your business. Your business may be going well and all you need to do is continue the same strategy. Your business may have grown and it’s time to consider expansion or diversification. Or, your business may have become stagnant and it’s time to consider whether to maintain the business or change the direction of the business. During Jupiter retrograde, it’s actually easier for you to make honest evaluations and write a plan of action. If you are expanding your business, you’ll find support from the base you’ve already built. If you are thinking about starting a new business or diversifying into a new product or service line, you may want to move slowly and implement those plans in June after Jupiter goes direct. By moving slowly, you’ll be able to build better alliances and generate increased support for your business.

The healing aspect of Jupiter retrograde comes through this self analysis of your life. Jupiter is often considered the planet of fortune. Yet, the ancients also considered Jupiter the planet of misfortune. Through my work, I’ve seen that Jupiter is really the planet of self-fulfilling prophesies and the planet of rewards. When you are attuned to the true energy of Jupiter, you see the world as a place of possibilities and successes. It becomes easier to attract positive things and emotional support into your life because you expect these things to happen. Therefore, Jupiter is the planet of rewards. Yet, when you are out of step with your spiritual needs, you miss out on the true energy of Jupiter and just start justifying the negative aspects in your life. You expect life to be difficult and you create barriers that prevent other people from giving you emotional support. Hence, Jupiter is also the planet of self-fulfilling prophesies.

One day after Jupiter turns retrograde, Venus enters Aquarius, and the need to let supportive relationships into your life increases. At the same time, there are many planets in Aquarius indicating that the best way to let relationships into your life is to discuss your needs with people you believe want to support you. This really is the time to understand that you don’t need to be alone as you make changes in your life.

By February 6, 2005, Mars enters Capricorn and brings the energy of structure into your life. If you’ve been thinking about changing jobs, this is a good time to work on your resume. If you’ve been thinking about making changes with your business, this is a good time to start writing your business plan. And, since support from others is so important during this month, try to find a mentor who is willing to help you understand the best ways to make these changes. And, if you’re in business, make certain that you study your competition to see if some of their best practices are good enough to incorporate into your business plans. You may feel some tension right now, but that tension can be a good thing. It may open your mind to possibilities you didn’t consider before.

All of this preparation is good now because the new Moon occurs on February 8, 2005 in Aquarius. As always, the new Moon represents a good time to start new things and a better time to renew past commitments that support your spiritual goals. Basically, this is a good time to determine which activities in your life support your inner goals. This is a good time to look at your social obligations and determine if they are supportive of your personal needs, especially those needs that are involved with your relationships. If you are ignoring your personal needs because of commitments you’ve made to social groups, it’s really time to either decrease or even end your involvement with those social groups.

At the time of the new Moon, there are still many other planets in Aquarius. This stellium, as it is called, often represents intense energy and feelings. So, it’s very important to pay attention to your health. Since this month is a period of healing, it’s important to get a lot of rest and maintain that daily routine that doesn’t cause exhaustion.

Personal compassion will be easier when Mercury enters Pisces on February 16, 2005. Personal compassion means understanding your needs and communicating these needs to others so they can be more supportive in your life. It also means understanding that part of the healing process is letting go of old behaviors or relationships that no longer give you support. Personal compassion also means that it’s important for you to forgive yourself if you made errors in your life. It’s very important not to blame the victim. Think of it this way: When you are compassionate, you always do the best you can. Therefore, even if you make mistakes in your life, your intent was to live in a caring fashion. And, mistakes are really the best way to learn.

As the Sun enters Pisces two days later on February 18, 2005, compassion continues to be the operative word. The Sun in Pisces is more important than most people think. It heralds the end of the astrological year. With Jupiter moving into retrograde motion at the beginning of this month, the energy was already one of healing and evaluation. This is especially true when the Sun is in Pisces. This is the time to review the past twelve months of your life and determine if you were moving in the right direction. This is also a good time to review what emotions or activities you believe prevented you from achieving the successes you wanted during the last twelve months. Again, this is not the time to place blame if things didn’t quite go right. If your intent was to do well, remember that you did the best you could. If anger motivated some of your actions, than this is a good time to understand what prompted that anger. Usually, anger is caused by either fear or insecurity. At times, anger can be caused by feelings of isolation because people in your life aren’t supporting your actions. Whatever the reasons you may believe you didn’t succeed with all your plans, first take the time to rejoice in your successes. After you’ve rejoiced, determine where you want to make changes to increase your success for the upcoming twelve months.

At the time of the full Moon on February 23, 2005, hold a celebration honoring your successes of the past twelve months. Have any plans written down by now. If fears begin to crop up that can derail your plans, let go of those fears. This is also a good time to celebrate the removals of fears and barriers that cause you to stumble.

As the month ends, Venus enters Pisces on February 26, 2005 and once again the key word of compassion echoes throughout the universe. This time there is a stellium in Pisces increasing the vibration of compassion. Keep the celebration of success that you held during the full Moon in your heart. Enjoy the removal of fears and barriers that you celebrated during the full Moon. Understand that compassion means letting others support and help you when you need their help. And, know that compassion for self means it becomes easier for you to give this same support and help to others when they need it.