February 2009: You Don’t Have to Go It Alone

Throughout the month of February, there is a tight pattern of planets found between Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, and Aries. Although the Moon may not always be part of this pattern because of the speed with which it travels, Saturn retrograde and Ceres retrograde, both found in Virgo, are definitely not part of this tight pattern.

What’s important to note is that the actual stellium aspect of the charts throughout February 2009 fall into the sign of Aquarius and that Saturn retrograde and Ceres retrograde tend to make a quincunx to the various energies that fall into Aquarius. This cluster of planets will be the underlying energetic theme for the month of February.

Aquarius is ruled by two planets, Saturn and Uranus. This is important to know right now because Saturn retrograde forms the quincunx to many of the Aquarian energy points.

The Uranian aspect of Aquarius represents the willingness to try new things and understand your life from a global perspective. It indicates social organizations that are important in your life because you either share common ideals with those individuals or you want to expand your knowledge through associating with persons who are different from you.

The Saturnian aspect of Aquarius represents where you place boundaries to protect your ideals from other people. It can represent the willingness to grow, as long as you do it slowly. But, it can also represent where you let other people tell you what to do instead of making your own decisions.

Because both Saturn retrograde and Ceres retrograde form a quincunx to the Aquarian energy, it means that you will need to make adjustments in your life that involve compromise. At the same time, you’ll need to scrutinize what other people are telling you so that you don’t blindly follow other people without making your own decisions.

Your life is definitely tied to the entire chain of events now. On a karmic level, this is a period where every action has a definite ripple effect and is felt by others not only in your life but in their lives. This energy is very important to understand because it also indicates that whatever occurs in one county has a definite impact in another country, especially in the areas of economics, human rights, and administration of laws.

On February 1st, Mercury in Capricorn turns direct and plans that you had under development finally start to take shape. You’ll find that they are easier to implement. On the other hand, you may want to spend some time reflecting on your plans and how they fit into the wider scheme of things. You may decide that some of the actions you were going to take just aren’t quite right. While you need to be organized, you also need to find ways to do things with other people. This is not the time to try to do things alone.

At the same time, with Venus entering Aries, you don’t want to lose your identity as you work with other people. Venus isn’t always comfortable in Aries because Venus means that you have to think about yourself. But the key here is to think about your role as you relate to other people.

When Chiron forms a quincunx to Saturn retrograde on February 4th, you need to make changes in those areas of your life where things are just not working out right. You don’t want to wallow in the pain of life but at the same time you don’t want to avoid that pain. If you are going through difficult times, try to understand why. If there’s any way that you can make sense of your difficulties or make changes that decrease or eliminate those difficulties, you’ll find yourself going through a tremendous healing period.

A little later in the day, Mars enters Aquarius and now six energies points (Mars, Jupiter, Moon’s North Node, Sun, Chiron, and Neptune) are in Aquarius. The underlying theme of Aquarius is very evident now because Mars gives energy to that theme. It’s important that you understand any fears you have so they don’t motivate your actions. It’s also important to take even more time to reach out to your friends and family. Keep in mind that as much as you relate to other people, you still need to maintain your individuality so you can stay focused on your objectives.

February 5th is very important because Saturn retrograde forms an opposition to Uranus. This is a cycle that occurs about every 47 years and tends to last for more than one year. This cycle actually started on November 4, 2008, the day of the United States Presidential election, and will continue until July 26, 2010.

Saturn deals with matters of control while Uranus deals with desire to avert control. In order for the energy of Saturn to work at its best, you need to understand the past and use it as a scaffold on which to build a better future. However, Uranus operates in a different way. Uranus represents an energy that wants to break any ties which prevent future movement. It also represents energies which indicate it doesn’t want anyone to have control over others. This is an interesting opposition because in its most negative, the opposition represents the use of fear in fighting battles. In its most positive, the opposition represents finding common ground in order to build a new organization.

When an opposition occurs, there is a conflict between the various ideals of holding on to the past and moving forward. While an opposition represents the need to find a compromise and live in balance, it all too often indicates conflicts between two warring sides where neither really wins. This is important as you go through your life this year. Without compromise and using the past to develop a better future, you may just meander through this next year without achieving your goals. Yet, if you know how to compromise and use your past experience, you’ll actually be able to find new ways to achieve your goals and receive support from other people as you travel your path in life.

Because this opposition is a 47-year cycle, it is very important on a mundane level. Historically economic turmoil occurs in the banking industry, stock market exchange, and railroad industry. Some of the turmoil occurs because administrators are fearful of external control over economic resources. Such was the case when President Andrew “Old Hickory” Jackson determined to withdraw federal funds from the Second Bank of the United States in 1829 and redeposit those funds into state and local banks. While it’s true that many of the stockholders of the Second Bank of the United States were foreign stockholders, the state and local banks were not regulated very well and eventually a crisis developed. There is a real danger that various countries will actually put national interest above economic interest and as a result all nations could suffer a more extended economic problems.

The Vienna Stock Exchange on May 9, 1873 is credited by historians with starting a depression which lasted in Europe until 1896. This depression became the Panic of 1873 when it migrated to the United States and the firm of Jay Cooke and Company declared bankruptcy on September 18, 1873. Their company was heavily invested in the railroad expansion. As a result, the New York Stock Exchange closed for ten days and 89 railroad companies went bankrupt. The analogy of over expansion may not be as appropriate for the railroad industry at this time, but it is appropriate for the automobile industry not only in the United States but also in other countries. There are not just enough people who can purchase all the cars that are in the marketplace at this time. Some economists credit the fall of the automobile industry with stock market panics and tight credit, but the reality is that right now there is an over capacity of cars being manufactured. Until cars production declines, the automobile industry will continue to suffer. If you can get the credit, you may find some very good deals with new car purchases right now. Dealers need to get them off the lots.

Around the days that Saturn forms an opposition to Uranus, you’ll need to watch the stock market because it will be extremely erratic. Usually when a new President is elected in the United States, the stock market doesn’t do so well, but it really didn’t do well on November 4, 2008. So, pay attention to the next dates that Saturn opposes Uranus. In addition to the February 5th date, the other dates are September 15, 2009; April 26, 2010; and July 26, 2010.

The first lunar eclipse of the year occurs on February 9th. This is actually the second eclipse of the year since a solar eclipse occurred in January 2009. There are only two solar eclipses and four lunar eclipses this year. This eclipse is almost visible throughout the world except in eastern Canada, mainland United States, and South America because the eclipse starts after moonset. The best place to see this eclipse is in Alaska, Hawaii, Australia, and East Asia. If you have a planet around 20° of either Aquarius or Leo, the eclipse will have a personal impact in your life.

Eclipses on a personal level are very interesting. Some people believe that when an eclipse impacts your natal chart, it means that that area of your life is “eclipsed” and nothing positive can happen there. That might be true. However, what the eclipse really means is that you need to deal with your fears about that area of your life. Fears are what prevent success in life. Fears help you build larger obstacles and give you excuses for not moving forward. So, when an eclipse occurs, your fears may increase. However, fears are like a bad dream. If you face that bad dream, it goes away and evaporates. Left in the place of the nightmare is relief and happiness.

On a mundane level, eclipses often represent problems in areas of over speculation. Since the Moon is in Leo for this eclipse, it means that the public has over speculated in areas associated with the stock market, sporting and entertainment industries. The Sun, being in Aquarius, represents that controls need to be put in place which do not mimic that past rules. If that doesn’t occur, past mistakes will be repeated. Unfortunately, with the Saturn/Uranus opposition occurring a few days earlier, this eclipse indicates continued economic problems and erratic stock market behavior. To understand the specific areas that will be affected, you set up the eclipse for a country’s capital and see what houses the eclipse falls in. In the United States the eclipse falls in both the fifth house of speculation and the eleventh house of Congress. This doesn’t bode well for bipartisan agreements in Congress. Nor does it bode well for the stock market.

Jupiter forms a conjunction to the Moon’s North Node on February 13th. The Moon’s North Node represents the future and what actions you need to take. The Moon’s South Node, which Jupiter will oppose, indicates the past actions you took which may or may not have served you well. If you look towards your future, you’ll find ways to get out of some situations that caused you problems. It’s also important to remember the theme of Aquarius: Move forward without fear and develop relationships with people so you don’t have to do everything alone.

The following day Mercury re-enters Aquarius and now you find seven energy points within less than 27° degrees of themselves. These energies are Mercury, Mars, Moon’s North Node, Jupiter, Chiron, Neptune, and the Sun. You need to communicate with other people if you want their help. You need to try and build coalitions rather than fighting over who is right.

And, from February 14th through the 16th, you need to make some adjustments with your plans. Ceres retrograde will form a quincunx to Jupiter, Venus, and Mars during those three days. The quincunx that Ceres retrograde forms will actually create the energy of a Yod. Some people call the Yod aspect the “fickle finger of God.” What they mean by that comment is that no matter how you try to get it right, you just can’t find the right balance. Yet, the secret to finding the right balance is to understand that you need to compromise on some of your goals without losing your value system. If you can do that, you’re on the right track.

On February 17th, Mars forms a conjunction to Jupiter. This could be a good day for you. You’ll feel more energetic. You’ll feel as if some of the compromises you implemented are going to succeed. Just don’t over do things today or else you’ll be mentally fatigued by February 21st when Mercury forms a quincunx to Ceres retrograde. The Sun has moved out of Aquarius and into Pisces leaving Neptune as the last planet in the Aquarius stellium. So you may want to spend more time reflecting on your goals than discussing them with other people.

Mercury forms a conjunction to Jupiter and the new Moon, with Sun and Moon in Pisces, occurs on February 24th. This can be a good day for feeling the balance in your life that working with others can bring. You may feel excited about some of the goals you and others can achieve. Yet, you may also want to use this day to meditate on how good it feels to be part of a situation where you’re not all alone and other people are giving you support.

As long as you remember the underlying theme for February – that you don’t have to do everything alone – you’ll be able to find a way around the turmoil that may surround you or that you experience in your life.