Morning Star: Astrology for the week of February 12 to February 18, 2018


Monday, February 12, 2018

This week, we begin the thaw. I mean this in terms of the astrological weather. But, that often coincides with the actual weather. You see, this week, the Sun and Mercury both follow Venus into the sign of Pisces leaving the frozen, metallic but sparkly world of Aquarius. These bodies dissolve into open waters. Venus entered the sign last Saturday. Plus, the Moon swims with the fishes following our New Moon in Aquarius midweek. This is the time in my neck of the woods that, though it still may snow, it feels different than when it snows in the dead of winter. Usually the snow is wet and doesn't hang around long. You may begin to see the emergence of crocus or even a few promising buds in the trees. Birds begin busily choosing trees for their nest building...the Earth slowly begins to re-enliven. It's a magical time, really. In which Mother Nature is the magician sparking something new back to life nearly everyday.
image credit: JOHN SLOANE
For us, it is a time of dream and gestation. We can feel the awakening of the Earth and the promise that brings. We can dream of what the warmer days will be like and what we will do with them. It's time to plan gardens...which makes me a little sad since I probably won't have one this year. I've plenty of other dreams to occupy my time, however. That part is pretty key with Saturn in Capricorn. His recent mantra to me is “Don't focus on what you cannot do right now. Focus on what you can do.” I enjoy Saturn's no fluff, common sense approach. He doesn't over-complicate. “It is what it is. Progress is progress,” he says flatly. Very centering energy to me.
Today we begin with the Moon in Capricorn. This is the growing dark moon. A time in which the energy feels like a vacuum or black hole. As if the Universe pulls from our body and atmosphere all kinds of gunk that needs to be absolved. This is the wrap up, finish up stage of the Moon. It's a great time for wrap up work, adding finishing touches, clearing out space that you would like to fill with intention and purpose in the physical, emotional or energetic realm. The emotional body is very quiet and sometimes our physical bodies will crave the same.
When the Moon is so low, I like to picture a Void. Almost likened to a huge swirling black hole into which I can throw anything and have it disappear forever...swiped to a different dimension...devoured in the aethers. Sometimes, my trash can is that void through which I discard clutter that I cannot recycle. Sometimes it is an energetic Void that I toss stale emotions and outworn laments. Sometimes, I put my whole self in that Void just to shelter in peace. No light. No sound. Nothing. Just myself weightless in the empty. Sensory deprivation can be an amazingly powerful experience.

image credit: The Denver Post

At 2:23 the Moon meets Pluto by conjunction and this “void” for emotional, physical and mental purging opens wide. Let it suck all the impurities out of your energy field. Recycle or rework projects that may not have turned out how you planned. Clean your physical and energetic space. Release fears or confront them. The conjunction does fall in sextile to Jupiter in Scorpio (Moon sextile at 6:43 PM) that is a huge magnetic poultice mixture that can...and likely will...work to bring lots to the surface on several levels. The point? Inspect it. Acknowledge it. Let it go. Mourn its loss then clean and purify the energetic space to ready it for the better things/thoughts/ideas to fill it with. This is also wonderful for dietary detox efforts, releasing/reforming bad habits and severing negative attachments.
At midnight, the Moon is unsettled by a square to Uranus. This is rarely a comfortable set up for sleep. Usually when I see that, to me it means someone is going to leave the TV on and it's going to wake me up in the middle of the night. And, I'm probably going to be pissed. LOL. But, it is an erratic unsettled energy that can make it hard to calm down. Following this square, the Moon is rendered Void. We may be able to catch some rest even if later than typical.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

The drawing Void Moon persists this morning until she is reawakened in the sign of Aquarius at 10:13 AM. This lightens the mood a bit. But, she is still low and strongly waning in preparation for the New Moon on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Mercury in Aquarius and Jupiter in Scorpio meet in conflict at 5:39 PM. This occurs at 23 degrees of their respective signs. The key to managing this transit? Don't over think it. Don't over-complicate it. Don't blow it out of perspective. Remember the beauty in simplicity and common sense. And, realize there are plenty of gray areas we can choose from between the extremes.
Jupiter moves particularly slow right now as he prepares to turn retrograde in March ending our period of “all planets direct” that we've had since early January. During this time, templates have been made of the framework we will work within for the entirety of the year. If you still have things you would like to address upon the large timeline of the year, you can still set intention toward those at the New Moon in Aquarius.
As for Mercury and Jupiter, over-blown and over-complicated comes to mind. Again, you can use these two by allowing Jupiter to excavate information and allowing Mercury to analyze. It is a good time to seek out expert opinions in an effort to gain expertise in the area of your choosing. It's a good time to raise your social and communication expertise and mix that with what you've learned about the language of the unspoken (non-verbal communication, symbolism, etc.).


The downward end of this is pure logical thought meeting with the theory of depth and mystery, the non-rational, unexplained and sometimes that which provokes fear. Mercury in Aquarius does not like stuff it cannot explain. It wants to KNOW and without proof and measurable outcomes, to Aquarius, there is no knowing. That makes him really uncomfortable. Plus, the set up can cause tangled brains to become even more tangled and perhaps even paranoid. But, employing the power of Aquarius in the highest way allows us to step back in observation without need to draw conclusion yet. In that way, Jupiter can theorize and excavate information without getting wholly sucked into it. Then, Mercury can be the scientific aide in this pointing out what may be too extreme or abstract. But, on the low end, this is likely to cause disagreement and discomfort in conversations with others especially in those touchy realms like politics, religion, death, and sexuality. Jupiter's subject matter is neither easy nor neat. It's messy. Something Aquarius doesn't like much. But, again, Aquarius can help us step back from that and observe rather than roll in it. Arguments will probably center around who is more adamantly right in their line of thinking when really neither person is right because they are too stuck in their own experience and point of view without a smidgen of willingness to budge. Fixed, fixed STUCK. Remember, that there may not be a wholly right answer. The right answer may change according to the situation. Absolutes “never, always” are traps that hinder us from finding the best answer for the situation at hand. Usually it is the ego or an unwillingness toward change that gets in the way of an ability to negotiate here. Optimistic and innovative forward thinking meets with an energy that wants to wallow in the shadows of despair comfortably where it is. Because that feels familiar and though not pleasant we know what to expect from it. Letting go of the misery we know can be tough. But, this energy sure can help if we let it.


Allowing the observation to occur instead of trying to complete the puzzle just yet is greatly bolstered by the Sun's waxing sextile to Uranus in Aries at 9:23 PM. This can produce an aha moment as a result of our excavations and observations. Or, if we've utilized the Void to clear space this can be the elated feeling of lightness and freedom that follows. Or, it could be the inspiration we were waiting on giving us the ability to innovate and employ what it is we have learned so far.
Either way, that set up is not cumbersome and encourages us to rise further above chaos in an effort to see the pieces of the larger construct...like an eagle soaring on thermals observing the whole of the world below. Unattached. Free. Independent from what is seen as a “convoluted mess” when we are actually on the ground in the mix of things. Plus, it is a nice set up for light activities with friends or even jetting off on your own to try something new.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Ah. Valentine's Day. Or, whatever bitter name you want to attach to it. Listen, I get so overly fatigued with commercialism and pressure. Not as much on this holiday; but, on most of them. However, I've learned to kind of make peace with this one. You see, one year I was single and pretty damn bitter about it, to be honest. The relationship I had just lost was one I thought would last a lot longer. But, the truth of it was, even though we did truly care for one another...our dreams for the future and our lifestyles simply didn't match up. Not that one was better than the other. They were just different and involved points we were not able to compromise. So, yeah. I was so freaking bitter, man. Not to mention heartbroken and kinda pissed off.



Thing is, I love to see Valentine's Day emerge. It's like the first sign of spring to me. Red is my favorite color and everything comes that way this time of year. Plus...chocolate! I didn't want to miss out on that because of a bad break up. I wanted to enjoy the “feel” in spite of myself. So. Instead of wallowing in the fact that I was not likely to receive a sweet “I love you” gift from anyone, I decided to hand out my own. I sent bouquets of flowers to the workplaces of all my friends. They had no idea they were coming. But, as they were received, the flow back of appreciation that came to me was overwhelming. I got my love. My heart overflowed that day. Single. No gift. No lover. It was a beautiful day. And, I'm a damn Libra...lol. Ok? Being single is hard enough for us. Being single on a day in which flowery flittery romance is in the air? Yeah. It's not fun. But, you know what, there is so much more room in this day for things other than wallowing and being bitter. I can't make that choice for you. But, I can promise you that you won't likely regret it if you make it for yourself.
Besides, the Sun in Aquarius is sextile Uranus still. Being free to roam, enjoy light social activities without any kind of pressure or just striking out alone as your tall cool self fits really nice here.
Our Moon in Aquarius finds Mars in Sagittarius by sextile at 9:31 AM. Get out! Try something new! Meet someone new. Dare to stretch out there and explore. The morning is light and active allowing us to aim that energy at anything we may choose.



If you are coupled, it's a great day to go out and explore some new place. If you are single, it's a great day and get out and explore a new place. Grab some friends...make some new ones. Chase the horizon.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

This morning the Moon in Aquarius is square Jupiter in Scorpio. Scrape the bottom of the barrel. The Moon strongly wanes and this is your opportunity to take out the final trash and bring things to completion. Don't allow the square to Jupiter overwhelm you. Keep things in perspective. Don't over-complicate.
At 10:08 AM a WONDERFUL inspirational sextile between Mercury in Aquarius and Uranus in Aries cracks the energetic atmosphere. This is active genius. A new and wonderful idea for what we will fill our now scraped clean empty spaces with. Plus, it's quickly followed by a Moon/Uranus sextile (12:42 PM) allowing us to fully detach from heavier emotions and seek hopeful and new experience instead. All this is very hopeful. And, very active. We want to open up the windows and let spring in even if it isn't really spring yet. However, talk about marvelous for taking initiative on the freshen it all up cleaning efforts as if it were! This is spectacular for that. But most won't likely feel like being indoors to do so.


At 1:08 PM, the Moon meets Mercury in Aquarius and they share their inspiration just in time for the New Moon (blah, blah, partial solar eclipse) to come in allowing us to set intention toward these sparkly promising new ideas.
The New Moon officially occurs at 4:07 EST. She's rendered Void as soon as the aspect occurs. So, setting intention as this waxes in works. Or waiting until she enters the watery world of Pisces at 9:43 PM gets it done too.
Meanwhile, Venus finds Saturn by sextile at 6:20 PM giving our dreamy heart imaginings power to be manifested in the material world. Allowing our tender hearts boundary and support. The soil is rich and Aquarian energy is ripe for wishing...feel free to whisper a few and let “magic” take it from there if nothing else.



I've written two articles on the incoming New Moon if you would like to check those out. Our Guide for this lunation is the 4 of Cups. You can find that blog entry here. Then, for a look at the astrology, you can read how I used the energy coming into this New Moon to create my project I called Aquarius by following this link.
Otherwise, it is a very hope filled day. The energy is light. Emotions are low. Venus is steady, well grounded but still creative and compassionate. Drink. This. Up.

Friday, February 16, 2018

This morning the Moon resides in dreamy, empathic and sensitive Pisces. At 9:49 AM, she is gloriously in sextile with Saturn and moving toward a conjunction with Venus at 11:37 AM. This is a time of manifesting dreams, folks. Making something out of nothing. Learning to love with healthy boundary. Creative mud. The influx of water toward Saturn eases him up in his stoic nature a bit. It allows for creativity to wash into our plans. We can take a relaxed pace toward our goals. Our tempo and mood can both be set to music. It's not only a wonderful day for creating lovely art visions. It's also a day in which we can imbue our leadership efforts with empathy and compassion. It's a great day for acts of charity and emotional support. Whether you have some to share or need some, reach out.


Saturn is a nice entity to have hanging around with planets in Pisces. It's like being given a floating device when otherwise lost at sea. We can be creative, gentle and productive. Either way, it's a really nice energy. I'm ecstatic to be stuck with it for the entire month of my new Lunar cycle. And, if you are an early degree Pisces Moon, you will likely enjoy this as well.
We do meet with friction as the day moves forward, though. Our quiet and recluse Pisces Moon meets with the rambunctious energy coming from Mars in Sagittarius at midday. Thing is, Mars is also waxing toward a square with Neptune meaning our physical energy may be dissipated or compromised in some way. Actions can become confused, ambiguous...or, we may feel the initial tug from Mars to get out and engage in the world but the following conjunction from the Moon to Neptune (11:32 AM) could have us more inclined to take a nap. If you are struggling with the square from Mars to Neptune...unsure of what you should do next, lacking energy to do much or merely confused about your motives and ambitions...laying tools down and resorting to the dream world can actually help. Surrender your problems or questions to the Universe and ask that it be settled in your dreams. Sounds nuts, right? But, sometimes when you release your grip this way...the body and mind can relax enough to seek a workable solution. Plus, sometimes the magic of surrendering your own will to the powers beyond ourselves through prayer, meditation or...yes...sleep...returns a similar magic by way of a solution we were missing.


Mars officially squares Neptune in tomorrow morning. This is NOT an ambitious set up. We are more encouraged to follow where the flow leads us instead of attempting to fight the current. Accept how you feel energetically and just go with it. Allow yourself to be led for a change instead of feeling as if you need to constantly take charge. We can rest and allow the initiating energy that will find us (after Mars/Neptune begins to wane) under our incoming Aries Moon. Pisces Moons are for floating, dreaming, gestating and softer acts of creativity, dream, art and music. Those opportunities don't come very often. Today and into tomorrow, we are given free license to take advantage of it before we take off sprinting into our new week with the Moon in Aries on Sunday morning.

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Mars is square Neptune this morning under our Pisces Moon as Mercury in Aquarius finds the Sun in Aquarius both headed toward the 29th degree of the sign. This happens between 6:21 AM and 7:28 AM. The body is less than energetic but the brain space is quite active. The Sabian symbol for the Sun/Mercury conjunction reads: “Metamorphosis completed, a butterfly spreads its wings. Immortality of the real self. Graduation into a new realm of being. Confident projection of self; lack of self-confidence.”



Makes sense to me. Have you ever watched a butterfly newly emerge from a chrysalis? It doesn't jet off into flight right away. It's actually still kind of “hung over” and maybe even a little weak kneed and wobbly. It stretches it's lovely wings out so they can fully dry. It starts to learn how to get used to its new shape, new body. A caterpillar has never flown before. You know? And as you emerge “anew” you may feel the same way especially with Mars square Neptune.
But, yet, the brain zips with inspiration and new ideals! We want to act upon them but our ability to engage is greatly subdued and softened. We may suffer either extreme as depicted in the sabian...a pumped up sense of self confidence (that usually is a defense mechanism for low self-esteem, really) or a total loss of confidence. You know what? There's a middle ground in that. Gentle, easy, warm confidence that is not threatened by the shine of anyone else but content to settle in the glow of itself.
Write down your wild inspirations and aspirations. Allow your imagination to take you through the possibilities of bringing these to fruition. Dream it up the way you want it to go. Know, yeah, this might be brand new. Something you have never tried before. You might make mistakes. But, the only failure here is doubting yourself so much that you never even give your dreams a chance.



Just before 1 PM the Moon meets with traction, determination and grit while also feeling a bit restored (especially if you rested in the earlier part of the day) by way of a sextile to Pluto in Capricorn. This is followed by an uplifting watery trine between the Moon and Jupiter in Scorpio at 5:15 PM. Then, Mercury dives into the sign of Pisces giving us a beefing up the current stellium in the sign (Moon, Venus, Neptune, Chiron...now Mercury). Tomorrow, the Sun joins this mix but the Moon exits. The thaw continues. And, today is a good day to let things melt into a dreamy water colored mix. Following the trine with Jupiter, the Moon is Void until entering Aries at 7:06 AM tomorrow.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

This morning, the Moon is in Aries as her ruler, Mars, begins to sober up after his conflict with Neptune. Physical energy is likely restored a little bit allowing us to take action toward some of the wonderful inspiration that the Sun/Mercury conjunction provided us with yesterday.
At Noon, Aquarius season officially comes to a close and the Sun enters the ethereal seas. Here the ego melts, softens and becomes quite subdued. We've just experienced about every aspect the Sun will make through this sign by way of the Moon's passage through here on Friday and Saturday. Other than potential conflict coming from Mars, the surrounding energies of Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and Pluto...yes, Pluto...are glorious things to have in a Pisces Solar return! Course, we still have Neptune and Chiron in that mix, too. But, mostly, it looks like a sweet year to be Pisces to me! Happy birthday fishes!
image credit: aerrospace

The day mostly goes by unencumbered. However, the Aries Moon does get called out by Saturn at 7:16 PM. That looks a lot like the Monday dreads to me...we know the reality of Monday is coming. Taking initiative to feel as if you've accomplished something today is going to help offset this square. Plus you can use all the creative energy out there to help address your goals in imaginative ways. What you don't want to do is caught in the Aries Moon's shadow which is to perceive everything as a battle to be won or a challenge to over come. Sometimes things don't need to be fought but accepted. But, Aries Moon would rather headbutt obstacles than look for a gentler solution. The better way to go about that is to take some of this initiating energy from the Moon and the creative energy coming from the sign of Pisces and shape all that around our “plan” or our “goal.” A softer more indirect approach may be called for rather than straight up declaring war on it.



Tomorrow morning, the Moon has left the pressure of Saturn in favor for an active fire trine with Mars in Sagittarius. We can accomplish a great deal in the early part of the morning and actually feel like doing so! Rest up today and get ready for that after chunking out some easier tasks during this day so you don't feel like a totally washed up sloth and it ought to go just fine.


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