This Week in Astrology Feb 16

We are in Last Quarter Moon Phase

Last Quarter moon:  Now we do the final adjustments to the seeds we planted on new. The final call, the final letters to send, we follow all the trails that came up that still make sense.  And we let the other parts lay fallow. It is a time of action but wise action.  It is a time for living “The serenity prayer” 

God, grant me the Serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change Courage to change the
things I can, and the
Wisdom to know the difference.

Focus on:

What actions are you taking that end stuff?  What actions are you taking that support rebirth?  Where do you need the power of renewal and how are you cutting out and ending to get it?  What actions need black and white perspective?   

Special Focus:

2/16: Mars enters Capricorn

2/16: Mercury retrograde 12 Pisces 4:54pm  (see above)

2/18: Sun enters Pisces

Balsamic Moon Phase

February 19, 2020 

7:44am PST   

Balsamic:   We let go.  By releasing we can prepare for the new.  

Focus on How are you releasing your snobbiness?  How are you releasing, “I’m better”?  How are you releasing your workaholicism?  

Special Focus:

2/21: Mars trine Uranus.  Brilliant, dynamic think, brainstorms, actions based on new ideas that are constructive, rewarding.  

Pisces New Moon  Feb 23, 2020  2:28am PST   

Mercury Retrograde

Mercury Retrograde

February 16 4:53pm PST

DATES:

2/1:   Mercury shadow 

2/16: Mercury stations retrograde 12 Pisces 53 

3/9:    Mercury station direct 28 Aquarius

3/29: Mercury shadow ends 

All the Mercury retrogrades in 2020 will take place in water signs however, only the second retrograde in June is entirely in water (Cancer).  The other two end their retrograde in air signs.   This one starts in Pisces and ends in Aquarius.   Mercury is the intellectual planet and is a bit strained when it travels in emotional water signs.  Getting our brains to think like our emotions or getting our emotions to change gear and be intellectualized is impossible.   During these retrogrades we will be prone to emotional ups and downs and we may want to ‘fix’ the emotions.   Perhaps the emotions are not the problem but instead what is setting them off needs to be addressed.  Let the emotions speak to you and guide your intellect in a new direction.   For example, during the Mercury retrograde you lose your cool or get frazzled or depressed by a person/place/situation.   The question to ask is, why?  What is really going on a deep level?  Why is this rattling you?   Have you outgrown something but are stuck?   Are you out beyond your reach and not sure you remember even why you are there?   Or are you staying small and growth is scaring you?  Take the retrograde to let Mercury start to figure a new path.   This is not a time to suppress your emotions but instead let them inform you.  You don’t have to go crazy and get your emotions on everybody but you can get quiet and ask some questions to yourself.   By the time Mercury completes the retrograde it will be in Aquarius which should cool the ups and downs and you may welcome rethinking some of your responses even more since the emotions could be milder.   

Each water sign has their own fears, Cancer usually around family, Scorpio around lost power but Pisces’ fear is sometimes difficult to lock.  Remember, Pisces rules things that we can’t always see.  It rules the oceans.  What you see on the outside covers up a whole other world down below the waves.  So, with Pisces we may get prompts that can’t be explained. Is it our intuition?  Is it our faith?  Is it just an overall feeling of depression we can’t shake?  Is it a general fear of the bumps in the night?  Prayer will be helpful.  Some will find help in their higher powers.  Some will turn to their therapists.  It’s all helpful and this retrograde, you may need to tune into your body more in order to get grounded.  Yoga, walking, stretching connect to your physicality.  And of course, breathe.   As always, like all retrogrades, give yourself more time for any trips, double check all paper-work before signing and anything that breaks you may want to research the replacement which you can replace after Mercury goes direct.  Finally, watch your dreams.  They could be speaking to you a bit more than usual during this Pisces Mercury retrograde. 

Leo Full Moon Feb 8

Leo Full Moon

Feb 8, 2020 

11:33pm PST 

20 Leo 00

Once a year we get a Leo full moon.    This is the full moon that reminds us of the power of our heart.   Our heart tells us where we need to go in order to fulfill our desires.   Even desires that are dormant can be found through the heart.    Leo is where we find creativity, talent, generosity and ability to shine.   We can love big through our Leo.  This is the full moon to get your heart pumping and the blood flowing.    Even the shy and timid can get their unfettered passion flowing.   Shyness and timidity get in the way of Leo full moon. 

Of course, in order to have a full moon it means the Sun is opposite the moon and also has an influence.  The Sun in Aquarius asks the Leo full moon to take all of his /her god given talent and use it to help others.   Aquarius tells Leo, “Find your weird creativity and I will celebrate you and together we’ll go do something good.”    This sounds like a great plan and thus the photo of Bob Ross for inspiration.  But the conundrum is Leo can be lazy like the Lion in the jungle, it will wish to be honored and cherished but maybe not put itself out there with others especially if it is nursing some old wound.   Aquarius’ is telling Leo, ‘Enough with the wound – get out there, help some people.”    By the way, how perfect that the Oscars will be taking place during the Leo full moon.   Prepare for some fun and weird moments.  

The chart for this full moon has a trine with Mars which brings energy to the three- day full phase.   If you have a project that you put off to the side until you have more focus and energy, this is the three- day cycle to tackle it.  You will give yourself a victory lap of pride (good Leo word) when you complete it.    

Neptune is also an influence in the chart with a small aspect to the sun (sem-sextile) and to the moon (inconjunct).   The three-day phase could be sensitive with moments of fuzziness or unworldliness.  Neptune reinforces the theme of helping humanity, strong waves of compassion can pop up.   There could also be some deceit so make sure before you jump in that all the facts are straight.  

It is for the most part a lovely Leo full moon.  Have fun, find joy, seek play and shine good on others. 

Aquarius New Moon

January 24

1:41pm 

4 Aquarius 21 

Happy New Moon & Happy New Year --Mr. Rat. 

We are about two hours into New Moon and I have posted my report.   You will find it at my friend Margaret Wendt's website.  

A lot of energy will be coming and going these next 28 days.  Some of it will be jarring some of it will be fun.   The key is to be on your toes!  You have an inner genius--find him/her!  

Full Moon Cancer Lunar Eclipse January 10

Image from All Eclipses APP 

Cancer Full Moon Lunar Eclipse 

January 10, 2020 

11:21am PST

Every January we have a Cancer full moon.  It is an opportunity to find our emotions.  We also reflect upon our roots and family (both good and not so good).  In this case we have an eclipse so what comes up may speak to our insecurities.   The Sun in Capricorn on the other side of the eclipse teeter totter also has insecurities.    The challenge is to find the spot in the middle of the two energies.  Cancer uses its emotions to feel powerful.  Capricorn uses discipline to feel powerful.      They both appreciate conservation and hate waste.   Being pragmatic about emotions is critical during this three-day cycle.   Those people who like to throw little scenes, send a snark email, pout and show someone a thing or two--- do it at your own peril.    Those people who like to cut off others when they get in the way of a goal because, “I don’t have time for her/him” –may be too focused on a goal and forgetting the human experience. 

There is a place somewhere in the middle where we let the emotions speak to us individually but always remember if we are not getting something from someone---are we seeing that person the way they really are?   Or are we confusing them with what we want them to be?  And by the way, that other person can be doing that same calculation on us.   Nothing gets figured out in one three-day lunar phase but you may learn something during this time about you or another that will make sense later this year.  

In the case of this full moon there is a lot more energy on the Capricorn side of the teeter totter with Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn & Pluto all next to the Sun.    Moon in Cancer is by itself.  However, mystical Neptune is speaking to both Sun and Moon offering some support.  You may find yourself forgiving self (and others).  Neptune also reminds us the power of patience and it can calm down any flustered feelings by sending us the thought-- ‘This too shall pass.”  There also could also be a random encounter that offers some joy or comfort.   There is also the humanitarian component to Neptune that suggests helping others gets us out of out of a negative mindset.   And never underestimate the power of music.  Put on a forgotten song that you used to love to shift your mood. 

During this three day cycle we will have Uranus station direct and Saturn conjunct Pluto.  Both are big and challenging and add to the roller coaster of emotions.   Again, find your pragmatism.   There are also smaller aspects occurring in this phase:  

  

1/11 Mercury conjunct Saturn.  Serious thoughts.  Serious Talks.  No one wants to waste time. 

1/12 Mercury conjunct Pluto. Penetrating thoughts.  Evolution thinking. 

1/13 Sun conjunct Pluto.  Once a year aspect.  Deep, introspection about what makes sense about our place in the world. 

1/13 Sun conjunct Saturn.  Focus, discipline, pragmatic, responsible. 

1/13 Venus enters Pisces.  Oh, good, something soothing. Dreamy visions help.  

See you on the other side of this energy at Disseminating Moon Jan 13, 8pm (PST). 

Saturn Square Pluto January 12

Saturn and Pluto (Wikipedia) 

Saturn conjunct Pluto 

January 12  

8:59am PST 

This is one rare bird of an aspect.  We knew it was coming and have been talking about its arrival for the last two years.  

The last time Saturn got on top of Pluto was 1982 before that round was 1951.   It is a once a thirty- year event.   However, the last time the two of them got together in Capricorn was 1518.    So, here we are five hundred years later doing it again.  On that round the world got Martin Luther who said, “Hmm maybe it is time to do religion different” and sadly about six months after the aspect King Charles I (Spain) commenced taking enslaved Africans to the Americas.  His edict changed history and arguably is still felt today.   If you look at the world it is not too hard to see the aspect is already in effect.  People seeking structure, limits, boundaries (Saturn) versus the purging and upheaval of things that no longer work (Pluto).  Power is important to both planets although they get there in different ways.  Saturn gets it through discipline and achievement.  Pluto through death and rebirth.    Both planets also have a depressing component to them since they both have a heat seeking missile to find problems and once the problem is found it looks like too much work to fix it—thus the depression, ‘How can we/I fix it?”   The answer-- It will get fixed by showing up and doing the work.  Stay connected to your own evolution and your own discipline to tackle problems.    Never underestimate the power of Saturn conjunct Pluto.    

Personally, if you know your chart you should see what house has 22 degrees of Capricorn.    If you don’t know your chart you are feeling it.   Where are you tired of monkeying around?  Where do you feel like you are wasting time?  Where do you feel you need to get real results?   Where are you feeling like you need to step up and ‘do something’?  This is no day in the country aspect but at the same time it is not focused on just one narrow window of January 12^th .  It is and has been felt for months and will continue after the date also we have transiting Jupiter and Mars who are going to be in effect with both Saturn & Pluto so we will be driving over this point quite a few times in 2020.     Lots for us to process.   On a personal level, take  note of any energy shift after  the 12^th.  

Uranus Stations Direct - January 10

Uranus Station Direct 

January 10  

5:47pm PST 

Uranus turned retrograde on August 11 at 6 degrees of Taurus.  How have you been processing your money, investments, security, things that make you feel ‘solid’ since August?   Have the last five months been giving you confidence that you are in good shape?  Or are you feeling exposed and vulnerable?   Uranus is the planet of innovation.   It’s also the planet of progress and new.  Now that it is turning direct you may feel motivated to find a new approach to your finances, your investments and things that bring security.  Has there been a brilliant idea you have been sitting on?   Once Uranus turns direct consider the ideas you have been percolating.  Test drive those ideas, talk to friends.  Get some feedback.  Do some research.   Taurus likes to do things slow and bit by bit—Uranus likes to do things fast—getting these two to find a way to understand each other can be tricky.   But it can be as simple as find something brilliant and build on it bit by bit.  

 Uranus in Taurus for the next seven years could bring fluctuation to economies and earth changes.  The last time Uranus was in Taurus was 1934-1942 it was a time of the great dust bowl, major floods and famines and other weather extremes.  There also was a rise of dictators like, you- know- who in Germany and the other power jerks in Italy, Spain and Russia who all liked to grab land and resources.   

Those who survived that rough period were nimble and ingenious.   What curious thought or idea did you have in the last five months that now as you consider it could possibly be your ingenuity?   Might it serve you (or the world) if you pursue it?    

We are still at the beginning of Uranus’ journey in Taurus, for those of you born with planets at early fixed signs may be feeling like the carpet has been pulled out from under your feet.   Roughly: April 21-April 28, July 24 – Aug 1, Oct 24-Nov 1,  Jan 22 – Jan 29--  If we all live long enough, Uranus will mix it up with all of us.  It is one of the earthquake planets so it knows how to shake things up.   Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury so communication is critical.  Get the word out and start talking to people about the changes you are going through, don’t do it alone.  People have experience they can share with you.  Support can come in weird ways--- ‘weird’ is Uranus word, by the way.