The acronym K.I.S.S. stands for “keep it simple, stupid”. I have never used it with people because of the name-calling implications of which I am over-sensitive. However, nowadays and all the way until the birthday of the U.S.A., K.I.S.S. will be my motto. Why? Because Mars is going back and forth in Virgo all during that time! In fact, because of a once every year-and-a-half retrograde cycle of Mars, the Mighty Red Planet has been traversing Virgo since early November of last year! That means almost seven months of highly energized Virgo themes for us Earthlings!
Starting on Monday, January 23rd, along with the Chinese New Year of the Dragon, Mars, the God of War, stalled to an apparent stand-still in the sky in Virgo the Virgin’s territory. In general, this suggests that from now until Tax Day, we should rebuild our strength, stamina and will-power through attention to details in the area of physical health, and optimize our personal efficiency by reorganizing and bringing tidiness to our internal and exterior environments. Diet, and the appropriate balance of work/play/rest should be attended to in order for our “personal organism” to function with clarity and vigor. Sensitivity to order vs. clutter, timeliness vs. rushing around, smooth rhythms vs. jagged activity and appropriate assertion vs. reactive attack will be key themes for the next two-and-a-half months.
The turnaround of Saturn in the last degree of Libra means that until Saturn enters Scorpio in early October, we have several months of work left to do rectifying relationships and hammering out contracts and agreements. Saturn sets up karmic conditions that will have short- and long-term consequences leading to positive or negative outcomes, depending upon how we “handle our business” as the seeds of our actions germinate and mature. The areas of life Saturn will “influence” depends upon an individual’s birth chart. The themes of fairness or injustice, balance or disequilibrium, harmony or polarization, equality or lop-sided power dynamics, aesthetic value or expediency, compassion or passing judgment, walls or bridges, friendship and love or disinterest and rejection are playing out in crucial ways for individuals, groups, countries and corporations.
Just after Imbolc/Candlemas, known in the strictly secular world as Groundhog’s Day, Neptune, God of Dreams and Oceans, re-enters Pisces for the duration of about fourteen years. There is so much to say about this that an entire column will be devoted (pun intended) to the transit of Neptune through Pisces. We caught a whiff of what may come when Neptune briefly dipped its toe into Pisces from early April to early August 2011, before wafting back into Aquarius. Some interesting things I notice already: proliferating house concerts, circle singing and kirtan-style gatherings; and similarly to the last time Neptune was in Pisces, solidarity of the dispossessed (99% vs 1%); and major concerns over fresh water availability finally coming through the mainstream media.
Lunations in February – The Full Moon on February 7th (North America time) highlights the meanderings of Mercury the Messenger through Sagittarius during its last retrograde cycle. At this Full Moon, whatever that last Mercury retrograde passage was about for you should come to fruition. Since Mercury was in the sign of philosophical Sagittarius for an extended period while retro-traveling, we were supported in our search for the Big Answers…Why am I here? What is my quest? What do I believe and why? Is my world-view/cosmology coherent and developed? Are my beliefs serving me at this point in my evolution? Whether we did our homework on the conscious or sub-conscious level, with this lunation in Aquarius we may notice if we are or are not in affinity with our fellows in terms of what we hold to be true, socially, spiritually and philosophically. Funky Aquarius dares you to be different, and to align, or realign yourself with folks you vibe with. Collective power rules!
The New Moon in Pisces on February 21st is a horse of different color! If the previous Full Moon could be characterized as left-brain oriented, this New Moon in Pisces puts the emphasis on what we think of as right-brain attributes. The spatially-smart, musically-minded, image-based, intuitive and empathic parts of us really get a big, big boost during this dark-of-the-Moon time.
New Moons are never the best for logic and reason anyway, at least for the five or six days surrounding the exact New Moon. After all, the reflective power symbolized by the Moon is hidden by the Sun’s light, so we are prone to seeing things too subjectively and throwing our shadow around sub-consciously during New Moon time of the month. The New Moon phase is great for allowing our instincts to direct our action, and for noticing where the power-drive in our bodies wants us to go. Gathering strength and energy, and getting extra rest while feeling out one’s next moves is my way of working with New Moon energy.
The thirty-day span when the Sun is in Pisces is always good for paying attention to dreams. This particular New Moon favors giving attention to dreams and visions in a really big way. The timing is particularly great this year, due to the Sun’s entry into the sign of the Fishes on February 18t h PST (Feb. 19th at 1:18 am EST), just a few days prior to the New Moon in Pisces. Not only that, but this alignment of the Sun and Moon merges with mystical Neptune! As mentioned above, Neptune will have just re-entered Pisces, so this New Moon provides a surge of energy amplifying the “Neptune effect” as it cruises into a 14-year transit of its home sign.
My suggestion is that you re-acquaint yourself with your dream journal. If you have never given much attention or credence to your dreams, make some extra time in your evening to “incubate” your dreams and a few minutes in the morning to record your dreams. There is so much great material out there relating to dreamwork that the only recommendation I would make is that you avoid the well-intentioned “dream dictionaries” and remain open to the mystery of the dreams rather than plug someone else’s interpretations into your dream-time productions.
Creative visualization, meditation and working with guided imagery are also favored in the weeks leading up to the spring equinox. It is said that the dream messages, intuitive flashes and vision visitations that come our way in late winter can offer us guidance and prescient awareness helping us “foresee” what we want to be doing when the new cycle of seasons begins.
The start of February each calendar year coincides with mid-winter. As Paul Simon sings, “These are the days of miracle and wonder…” The soul should be served now and the spirit acknowledged. Awaken your sense of innocence, awe, wonderment and beginner’s mind in preparation for the onrush of fiery Aries energy upcoming in late March. Do you notice any new buds forming on the trees? Bulbs sprouting, birds singing? Even in the depths of the icy grip of winter, fragile new life and the growing light in the day announce another cycle of exuberant growth and renewal. If you want to celebrate in an old-fashioned manner, look up “Imbolc” or “Bridget’s Day” and discover some ancient and well-practiced traditions in order to enjoy and participate with the spirit of the season.
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