February 2017 – Friendships Important in this Changing World

Important astrological energies for the month of February 2017:

  • Jupiter in Libra turns stationary retrograde on February 6, 2017. It will be retrograde until June 9, 2017.
  • Penumbral Lunar Eclipse (full Moon) with Sun in Aquarius and Moon in Leo occurs on February 10, 2017.
  • Solar Annular Eclipse (new Moon) with Sun and Moon in Pisces occurs on February 26, 2017.

Friendships Important in This Changing World

By Misty Kuceris ©2017

As the month of February begins, Mercury forms a sextile to Chiron on February 1st. This is a good day to heal from words you’ve heard other people use as they try to injure you. This is also a good day to try and use words of kindness and compassion so other people know that you care. You’ll find that paying attention to the needs of others can be very useful in creating a better relationship with others.

Be very careful what you say on February 2nd as Mercury forms a square to Jupiter. There’s a tendency to say too much and get yourself in trouble. While you want to approach life from an optimistic perspective, too much optimism can create problems. You may make too many commitments which you can’t keep. You may overstate the facts and have to backtrack at a later time. You may also feel as if you can soar anywhere and next thing you know, you’re in an accident. Caution is a good word for the day.

Venus enters the sign of Aries on February 3rd. Unlike Mars, Venus is not comfortable in the sign of Aries, its detriment. Venus indicates what you value and how important that value is in your life. It also indicates the value that you place on relationships. When Venus is in Aries, you don’t really care if other people are in your life or not. You feel it’s more important that you take care of your needs rather than the needs of others. You may even fear making commitments because you don’t want other people to control you. The positive aspect of Venus in Aries is that you value your need to be independent and are willing to take responsibility for your actions.

When Ceres enters Taurus on February 4th, you want to take care of other people. You don’t want them to take care of you. You don’t want to rely on them. You feel as if you need to be in charge. You may even have some difficulty relating to others because you don’t want them to spot any weaknesses.

It’s a strange situation when Ceres is in Taurus. You’re willing to take care of others, so other people really feel attracted to you. They initially feel comfortable around you. But, you also maintain a distance in your relationships with them. After a while they feel as if they really don’t know you. They’re not sure they can trust you. The key here is to take your time in trusting others and getting to know them. At the same time, give them an opportunity to know you as well. Once you understand each other, you’ll develop deep, long-lasting relationships.

On February 6th, Jupiter in Libra turns stationary retrograde. It will remain retrograde until June 9th. When Jupiter is in Libra, the main theme in your life is to understand your relationships with other people and how these relationships can benefit both you and the other person. When Jupiter is retrograde in Libra, you need to review your relationships to see if you want to continue associating with these individuals. You may even find individuals from your past are re-entering your life to see if you want to associate with them again.

Jupiter also represents commerce and legal matters. With Jupiter retrograde in Libra, this is a good time to re-evaluate your legal documents, whether business or personal, to make certain that everything is in order. If you are a business owner, you need to be careful with any business that you start since marketing costs are going to be a lot higher than you initially calculated. If you need to develop a marketing strategy at this time, make certain that it focuses on partnerships and relationships.

On a spiritual level, Jupiter in Libra represents your relationship with spirit and how you live your life. With Jupiter retrograde at this time, you may want to re-evaluate your spiritual goals and see if your life style is supporting your spiritual needs.

When Mercury enters the sign of Aquarius on February 7th and later in the day forms a square to Ceres. You’re excited to see your friends and want to socialize. But if your friends are going through difficulties, you’re not sure what to do. Do you rush in and help them, as is the normal response when Ceres is in Taurus? Or, do you listen to their concerns so they can find a way to help themselves, as is the normal response when Mercury is in Aquarius? Actually, you can do both. You can listen and ask probing questions which help them come up with their own decision. And, if you need some guidance today, think about the same strategy. Ask a friend you trust if you can discuss the matter while she or he asks the probing questions which help you make a decision.

Mercury forms a square to Ceres later in the day on February 7th after entering the sign of Taurus. When Ceres is in the sign Taurus, you feel as if you need to protect others by taking care of various situations that affect you both. When Mercury is in the sign of Aquarius, you really don’t want to take care of anyone else. You feel as if people need to be responsible for their own actions. This is where the tension comes in. On one hand you want to help. On the other hand you want people to do for themselves. You’re better off just listening to what others have to say without offering your opinion. Sometimes when people can talk out loud, they find their own way.

The first eclipse of the year occurs on February 10th and is a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. There will be a total of four eclipses this year. The most important one for the United States will be the Total Solar Eclipse on August 21st since that path runs through the country.

The February 10th lunar eclipse occurs at the time of the full Moon when the Sun is in Aquarius and the Moon is in Leo. It will be seen in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It is part of the Saros Series 114.

When an eclipse occurs on at the time of a full Moon, you need to be very careful moving forward and making changes in your life. Usually making changes at the time of a full Moon is a good thing because a full Moon indicates you need to let go of situations or people that have been standing in your way. But when an eclipse occurs at the time of the full Moon, it’s a little different. Eclipses have a way of obscuring facts.

Emotionally, since the Moon is in Leo, you want to be generous and help others. But the Moon forms a trine to Uranus and a sextile to Jupiter retrograde indicating that unexpected situations could arise. Since the Moon also forms a quincunx to Chiron, these unexpected circumstances could put you in harm’s way. You need to be careful.

The Sun in Aquarius indicates that you are willing to see things in a different way. You are open to new ideas and concepts. But, again the Sun forms a sextile to Uranus and a trine to Jupiter retrograde indicating the unexpected could occur. The good news is that with the Sun forming a trine to Jupiter retrograde you may get a lot of help from your friends or business associates.

If you can take your ideas and desire to be generous with people, you might find that the unexpected is agreement on important matters. For this reason, this could be a good day to begin negotiations even if you don’t come up with a final resolution. As a matter of fact, the negotiations which you begin today may reach a very good conclusion on February 20th when Mercury forms a sextile to Uranus or on February 21st when Mercury forms a trine to Jupiter retrograde.

When Jupiter retrograde forms a quincunx to Chiron on February 14th, you may start rushing into a situation where you don’t take other people’s feelings into consideration. If that occurs, you’ll find that other people are unwilling to provide you with any form of support. However, you may also decide that it’s time to pull out of a situation which is causing you pain. If that’s the case, today is a good day to do that. You don’t even need to give any reasons why.

When the Sun enters Pisces on February 18th, it becomes easier to express feelings of compassion in difficult situations. You want to help others. You want to find a way to alleviate any suffering.

As the Sun moves into a conjunction with the Moon’s South Node on February 21st, you realize that it’s time to let go of past anger that prevents you from moving forward. It’s also a time to release fears that prevent you from being successful.

You may find on February 20th when Mercury forms a sextile to Uranus or on February 21st when Mercury forms a trine to Jupiter retrograde that any negotiations you started at the time of the first eclipse on February 10th finally comes to a resolution. Both of these days are great for considering new approaches because you’re open to new concepts.  With Jupiter retrograde, you’re willing to re-evaluate your plans. The only drawback is that you may be so excited about your various resolutions that you make too many commitments that can’t be met. Temper your excitement and you’ll do well.

When Mars forms a square to Pluto on February 22nd, you could experience power struggles. Because of the potentials for power struggles, you need to watch your back. You need to make certain that other people don’t take advantage of you. You need to make sure that you keep on your path as you forge ahead in life.

This could either be a day where your energy is low and you need to take time and rest. Or, it could be a day where you’re so focused on your goals that you don’t consider other people. Either way, this is a day where you need to keep to yourself if you want to achieve your goals.

Sometimes when Mercury forms a sextile to Saturn, as it does on February 23rd, you take yourself too seriously. You don’t know how to smile or even laugh at jokes. Part of the reason that you may take things too seriously is that you are too focused on details. Another reason is that you believe other people don’t know as much as you do. But by being too focused on your details or believing that others don’t know as much, you could be cutting yourself off from some good advice that others can offer.

It’s true that when Mercury enters the sign of Pisces on February 25th you may need to be careful of the advice others offer because you want to believe everything that you hear. You want to think the best of people. It’s very important to check your facts before you take any action. The good news with Mercury in Pisces is that you can find creative ways to approach situations if you listen to your inner guidance. And, if you’re an artistic individual, you’ll find that it’s easier to use this creative energy for your artistic pursuits.

The second eclipse of the year occurs on February 26th. This is a solar annular eclipse which occurs during the time of the new Moon. The Sun and Moon are both in Pisces and forming a conjunction to Neptune. The eclipse is part of the Saros Series 140. It will be seen in the southern hemisphere which includes the Pacific, Chile, Argentina, Atlantic, and Angola.

Because this eclipse also forms a conjunction to Neptune, you need to be very careful with anything new that is presented to you. Not all the facts are known. People are resorting to magical thinking. You may want something, but it doesn’t mean that you’ll get it. It also means that not all the information you hear is accurate. The facts are being distorted.

Over the next few days, you’ll find that this eclipse has a strong undercurrent: much like the ocean during a storm. And Neptune rules the oceans. On the surface the ocean may look calm. But underneath there can be an under tow which is dangerous if ignored. Emotionally you need to prepare for an influx of intense global events over the next several weeks. The clues to these global events come from the planet Mars which forms a conjunction to Uranus a few hours after the solar eclipse and an opposition to Jupiter on the following day. These two aspects from Mars kick off the Jupiter retrograde opposition to Uranus which will occur on March 2nd.

When Mars forms the conjunction to Uranus on February 26th and the opposition to Jupiter retrograde on February 27th, you feel as if you need to take immediate action to remedy a situation. You’re being told there’s a crisis and only you can solve the problem. But that may not be true. You need to slow down and consider the consequences of your actions. You need to consider other people and how your actions impact their needs as well. If you rush into situations too quickly it’s easy to make a mistake that you’ll regret later. On a spiritual level, the aspects that Mars forms may actually be an inner tension you feel between the need to do things on your own and the need to rely on other people in your life. If you feel that other people are in control of your future, you’ll fight to change that situation. If you feel that you are in control of your own future and other people are willing to lend their support, you’ll feel compassion in your life and not rush to create change. Rather you’ll move slowly to make certain that the changes you make in your life create a firm foundation.