Important astrological energies for the month of February 2016

• Mercury in Capricorn forms a sextile to Chiron in Pisces on February 3, 2016. This is the third time this sextile occurs. The first time it occurred was on December 21, 2015 when Mercury was direct. The second time it occurred was on January 19, 2016 when Mercury was retrograde.
• Mercury in Capricorn forms a trine to Jupiter retrograde on February 6, 2016. The first time this trine occurred was on December 25, 2016 when both Mercury and Jupiter were direct. The second time this trine occurred was on January 14, 2016 when Mercury was retrograde and Jupiter was direct. Now Mercury is direct and Jupiter is retrograde.
• New Moon with Sun and Moon in Aquarius occurs on February 8, 2016.
• Full Moon with Sun in Pisces and Moon in Virgo occurs on February 22, 2016.

Doing More for Yourself

By Misty Kuceris ©2016

Even though Mercury went direct on January 25, 2016, you really won’t feel as if it’s direct as the month of February begins. That’s because Mercury hasn’t completed all the aspects that it started making in December 2015 just before Mercury went retrograde and in January 2016 while Mercury was retrograde. Don’t be surprised if you keep seeing some uncompleted situations cropping up for the first few days in February 2016.

Mars forms a sextile to Pluto and Mercury forms its third sextile to Chiron on February 3^rd. This is a day where you feel as if you want to gain control in your life so you can move from any negative situations into positive outcomes. With Mars forming the sextile to Pluto, you’re willing to throw out garbage that’s standing in your way. More importantly, you’re willing to take care of those needs that you’ve been neglecting. This is especially critical since Mercury is forming its third sextile to Chiron less than two hours after the Mars/Pluto sextile.

Mercury formed the first sextile to Chiron on December 21, 2015 when it was in direct motion. It formed the second sextile to Chiron on January 19, 2016 when it was in retrograde motion. What this means is that you had two opportunities to communicate your needs to other people. You also had two opportunities to stand up for your rights. However, if you tried to avoid taking care of your needs over the last two months that lack of caring is going to bring some difficult results now. Once again you’ll need to deal with making certain that other people understand your needs. You may even feel as if other people were intentionally hurting you when all you had to do was tell them to stop. If you did stand up for your rights in December 2015 and January 2016, you’ll find that any projects you must start now will receive support from people you love. You’ll be able to move on with your life without feeling as if you’re doing everything all alone.

On February 5^th, Mars forms a quincunx to Uranus and Venus forms a conjunction to Pluto. With Mars forming the quincunx to Uranus, the day could become very erratic. You may want to move on with your life but you’re not quite sure how to proceed. Or, you may find that circumstances surrounding you are slipping out of control and you don’t know how to regain control.

Unfortunately, with Uranus you need to expect the unexpected. And with Mars, you need to curb your desire to rush into situations you don’t understand. The good news is that Mars is in Scorpio and that will help you hold back. With Mars in Scorpio, you want to understand the situation before you proceed. This will help you from getting into an accident or some other situation which could be dangerous.

The need for caution continues as Venus forms a conjunction to Pluto later in the day. When Venus forms a conjunction to Pluto, you feel passionate about your life. You want to take charge and move forward in a focused manner. This could bode well for relationships in your life because you want to understand the other person. But, you also need to be careful that you don’t push your personal agenda to the detriment of the relationship.

If Mars hadn’t formed the quincunx to Uranus earlier in the day, this could be a good day for meeting someone knew in your life. But, instead, you might find that it’s more important for you to put your energy into getting things done so you don’t have problems later.

When Mercury forms its third trine to Jupiter on February 6^th, you’ll finally feel as if the retrograde motion of Mercury is over. The first time this trine occurred was on December 25, 2015 when Mercury and Jupiter were in direct motion. The second time it occurred was on January 14, 2016 when Mercury was in retrograde motion and Jupiter was in direct motion. Now Mercury is direct again and Jupiter is retrograde.

Normally Mercury forming a trine to Jupiter retrograde is a beneficial aspect. You are willing to open your mind to new concepts. You’re also willing to take risks to get ahead in life. But this time you need to be cautious because Venus will be forming a square to Uranus a few hours later. If you need to take risks today make certain that they are not financial or relationship risks. Those risks won’t work out. The Venus/Uranus square indicates that financial matters are erratic and personal relationships could turn argumentative. You could lose a lot of money if you make the wrong financial decision today. What you want to do is jot down any new concepts which surface and put them aside to re-evaluate them on February 8^th after the new Moon occurs. The good news is that you’ll finally feel as if the Mercury retrograde period is really over.

A few hours before the new Moon occurs on February 8^th, Venus forms a sextile to Chiron. You’ll be able to sort out any new concepts that you considered on February 6^th. You’ll understand how to introduce new ways of accomplishing tasks and find that they fit your value system. You’ll also be able to discuss matters with people important in your life and find that they are also supportive of your new ideas.

When the new Moon occurs, you’ll understand just how important it is to take care of your needs. This new Moon, with Sun and Moon in Aquarius, forms a quincunx to Jupiter retrograde and a separating square to Mars. You may feel frustrated that other people aren’t supporting your ventures. You may feel angry that others seem to be ignoring your needs. The truth is that these emotions are your body’s way of saying that you need to consider how you’re asking for help. Perhaps you’re rushing into situations too quickly and forgetting to ask for assistance. Or, perhaps you feel as if other people “should” understand when you haven’t even told them what you need.

You also need to take this time to review your social commitments. Perhaps you are doing too much for organizations and your hobby has become a full time, unpaid, job. Or, perhaps your values have changed and you really don’t want to keep supporting a particular cause. Rather than feeling frustrated or angry with people in the organization, take a deep breath. You may be at that point in your life where you just need to say good-bye and move on.

You’ll be able to understand your needs better on February 9^th, when Mars forms the trine to Chiron. You’ll see how to use your energy without getting angry or frustrated. You’ll know just how to bring better focus into your life. With this understanding, you’ll find that it’s a great day for healing. If you decide to start a new health regimen, you can be very successful.

Mercury re-enters the sign of Aquarius on February 13^th. Mercury originally entered the sign of Aquarius on January 1, 2016. However, it only went up to 1º02’ and turned stationary retrograde on January 6^th. For the first week of January, you may have felt that you needed to go after your independence. You may have even thought that you could discuss these matters with other people. But, when Mercury turned retrograde and re-entered the sign of Capricorn on January 8^th, your thoughts turned towards more responsible matters, such as work.

Now that Mercury is once again in Aquarius it’s time to think about your future and what you want to do that’s important to you. Often people think that Aquarius means caring for other people – humanity, if you will. But, Aquarius also means considering your own needs for freedom. While you may want to help others, you need to understand the motivations behind this desire. Perhaps you’re motivated to help others because you feel as if they’ll appreciate what you do for them. Or, perhaps you’re motivated to help others because it just makes you feel good and you expect no reward. If you understand your motivation, you won’t resent helping others. But, if you resent helping others, you may expect some form of recognition or payment where none is due. The key is to understand what’s important for your future growth and share this understanding in a way that helps others as well.

A few minutes after Mercury re-enters the sign of Aquarius, Mars forms a sextile to Jupiter retrograde. It becomes even easier to think about your future. You realize that if you want to move on with your life, you need to do things that are important for you. Having personal freedom is important right now. If you decide to help someone else, it’s because you want to, not because you need to.

Venus enters the sign of Aquarius on February 16^th. Venus is not really comfortable in the sign of Aquarius when it comes to intimate relationships. It is very comfortable in that sign when it comes to working in social groups. There’s a desire to help others. Perhaps this desire comes from an inner need to feel wanted and loved by others. But, the reason doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you can find ways to contribute to the world.

The Sun enters the sign of Pisces on February 19^th and you feel even more compassion for others. Just be careful that you are feeling this compassion out of a sense of wanting to help and not guilt. It does help that both Venus and Mercury are in the signs of Aquarius because you can maintain a sense of distance from others. You don’t need to get sucked into their drama.

Ceres forming a conjunction to Neptune on February 21^st actually works well with the Sun in Pisces. You are more aware of your environment as you pick up clues which you would not normally feel. You could also find that your compassion is elevated as you try to take care of others. But, be careful not to let other people use guilt in trying to get you to do things for them. If you can maintain a bit of an emotional distance, you’ll be fine.

The full Moon that occurs on February 22^nd has the Sun in Pisces and the Moon in Virgo. You’ll also still feel the energy of the Ceres/Neptune conjunction in Pisces which occurred the day before.

With the full Moon, you need to let go of matters which are no longer important. This is more difficult with all the Piscean energy in the chart. The Sun in Pisces is approaching a conjunction to both Neptune and Ceres while the Moon in Virgo is approaching an opposition. You want to help others. You want to feel compassion. But, with the Moon in Virgo, you also feel skeptical about other people and their needs. Perhaps that skepticism is a good thing and will help you really see who needs your help and who doesn’t.

An excellent way of using this energy is to let your creative nature surface. You may feel thoughts coming up from your subconscious mind. Write them down. Or, if you get images, draw them. You may not understand the message at this time, but you will feel connected with your spiritual nature. When Jupiter retrograde forms an opposition to Chiron tomorrow, on February 23^rd, you’ll understand any messages you received.

The opposition that Jupiter retrograde forms to Chiron on February 23^rd can be very healing. You’ll find it easier to review past pains and let them go. You don’t need to hold on to them anymore. You understand the importance of approaching life with a positive viewpoint.

As the month of February 2016 starts drawing to a close, Mercury forms several aspects over the next several days that are important as you make decisions that will impact your future.

On February 25^th, Mercury forms a sextile to Saturn and you start to realize how important it is to build the right foundation so you can take positive steps in your life. You’ll know how to make changes without letting go of important lessons from your past. You’ll even find people who are willing to mentor you as you look towards your future.

Releasing any negative energy becomes easier on February 26^th as Mercury forms a sextile to Uranus. Not only are you open to new ideas, but you’re also open to releasing anything which prevents you from moving forward with your life. Again, you’re able to move forward with your life by appreciating the lessons you learned from your past experiences.

Even the quincunx that Mercury makes to Jupiter retrograde on February 27^th doesn’t interfere with your forward movement. As a matter of fact, this quincunx helps you understand just what you need to throw out. External circumstances may present themselves and force you into making decisions. But, that may not be a bad thing. Perhaps you knew you had to let go and just felt taking a risk right now might be too much. So, the world will give you the proverbial (and spiritual) kick in the butt that gets you moving in the right direction.

The support you’re receiving from others continues on February 29^th when Venus forms the sextile to Saturn. You feel good about yourself. You feel as if you have the right knowledge and skill set to proceed. You’ve been able to develop a game plan that works. Just keep building on what you know and you’ll be all right.