Current Transits for February 2001 Current Transits for February 2001Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...
Mercury Retrograde, 2-3 to 2-25
Ceres enters Capricorn, 2-4
Full Moon at 19Le35, 2-8
Chiron conjunct the Galactic Center, 2-14
Mars enters Sagittarius, 2-14
Juno enters Aries, 2-18
New Moon at 4Pi47, 2-23
An online ephemeris for the month is available.
February is a rough mixture of not-much-happening. What little energy there is (and usually it isn't much) tends to be irritating and stressful, except for the last few days of the month. In short, it's a month to just get through. Keep your plans simple and don't attempt too much, unless you have a lot of patience. Most of the month is a Mercury retrograde cycle anyway, meaning the thinking mind is out to lunch and communications will be screwy. This can be a problem if your situation requires you to think clearly, so make allowances for this to avoid problems later. Eventually, there will be a tailwind behind us once more.
There's not much hard news for the month. Mars, Ceres and Juno all switch signs. Mercury goes through its retrograde cycle between the 3rd and the 25th. And of the biggest interest, Chiron passes over the Galactic Center on the 14th for the 1st of 3 times.
Mercury slows down to its retrograde station, 0P42, on the 3rd and then backs up until the 25th, when it goes direct at 15Aq25. In a nutshell, the entire month of February is one of those "Mercury retrograde" times that get so much bad press. Mercury rules our behavior on the everyday mental level (thinking, planning, communications, symbol usage, story telling), so when it goes into reverse gear, our brains turn to mush. Basically, the thinking mind is the psyche's tool for making sense of the world, forming a model of what to expect in various situations and how to interact with others efficiently. Most of the time, our minds do an adequate (though still imperfect) job of pigeon-holing the world. During these retrograde periods, however, the imperfections of our models come to the fore. We misinterpret situations, make plans that fail to work, think we're communicating more clearly than we really are. The stories we live by ("this is how the world is...") don't grasp reality well enough, causing us to misstep. If you step back from the thinking mind to a higher, more intuitive plateau, it can be "interesting" to see how the mental model fails to capture the real world just now. This is actually the first step to transcending the tyranny of the ego and the intellect and the psychic blinders they impose on your behavior. It's easier to realize now -- when Mercury gets moving again, you can get too busy to break free like this. Just remember "truth" is never the full story...
Ceres slips from Sagittarius into Capricorn on the 4th. This is an extended stay, until Dec 5, because of Ceres' upcoming retrograde cycle in Capricorn, hinting that this placement is more important than usual. Our connections to Life and the support we receive from the world around us take a very physical, down-to-earth turn for the rest of the year. It's time to nail down a strong sense of being provided for and having enough resources to thrive, especially in monetary terms. As a consequence, you're probably more concerned than usual with a good job and earning enough, as well as a more general feeling of achievement or success. Just don't let "being successful" become a substitute for loving and caring contact with loved ones and friends. These issues will become more pressing this summer, when Ceres is in reverse gear and focusing our attention on these matters.
Despite the apparent weakness of this chart, it looks to be a potent and challenging influence. It stars a Grand Cross pattern that bears an uncanny resemblance to the total solar eclipse of 1999-8-11 that received so much attention. (Note: the devastating earthquake in India in late January was at the end of this eclipse path on the earth's surface.) The full moon at 19Le35 is only a degree off that eclipse point (18Le21), so we're looking at some very similar energies being unleashed now. Six months later, there was a partial solar eclipse at 16Aq02 on 2000-2-5, near the Sun-Uranus end of the current full moon chart, adding even more eclipse aftershocks to the mixture. The main points of emphasis are at 19 and 4 degrees.
The Grand Cross is remarkable in that it's a repeat of the 99-8-11 eclipse chart: all the same planets, in nearly the same positions (except the Sun over in Aquarius). The conjunction of the Sun with Uranus gives this whole chart a crisp, electric feeling, full of fast-moving mental energy. The world is full of surprises now, not all of them pleasant. At the very least, they prevent any tasks from coming off as planned, as the unexpected seems to constantly knock you off course. It helps to keep a magnanimous attitude that allows you to stay above the fray, since the tendency is to get sucked into life's soap operas now. People are probably nursing a ton of hurt feelings these days and it's very easy to trip over someone's hidden landmines, even if you are looking out. Anger and fear may dominate most people's approaches, so try not to respond in kind. People like it when you show some sensitivities for their emotions. The 4 degree planets (in a beautiful sextile fan) talk of the need to have a warm, open manner. At times you may be estranged from such feelings or simply stuck in your head -- all the more reason to strive for a big heart. In fact, some of the limiting situations you need to overcome now have most likely been around for quite some time -- our problem areas can be "old friends" that are tough to shake. Be patient with this time period -- slow changes are often the most important.
I've been intrigued by the conjunction of Chiron with the Galactic Center (at 26Sa51) on the 14th, ever since I noticed it several months ago. I'm not sure I have much specific to say about it yet, but intuitively it feels like a major "initiatory time" for spiritually aware individuals, and on a more unconscious level for humanity as a whole. The last such conjunction was back in 1950, before Chiron was discovered and before we knew that much about our own galaxy, so symbolically, this is the first time we've been able to consciously experience this contact. The GC energy is hard to describe. Compared to normal planetary influences (even Pluto), it's much deeper and more penetrating in its action, like the lowest bass note on a huge pipe organ. In fact, it is so deep that most people can't really respond to it. The people who do tend to be on the leading edge, whether spiritually or intellectually, pushing consciousness to its farthest reaches. To some old shamanic cultures, like the Mayans, it was literally the Creator God Itself, the deepest mystery of existance. This energy tends to draw us out of ordinary mundane awareness into a more expanded connection with the universe that dwarfs our contacts to the Earth or even our own solar system. It's literally the central point of a world much vaster than we can see today, much like the Sun is the center of the solar system. Chiron is acting as a conduit for this GC influence, opening up a channel of communication between us and the great beyond. Besides Chiron's often noted role as the "Wounded Healer" that helps us overcome our psychic wounds, he also has less mentioned roles such as the Trickster Teacher, the Initiator, the "circuit activator" of new psychic pathways in our own nervous systems. One could hope this would help trigger a mass outbreak of enlightenment, but let's not get too ambitious here. I suspect the leading edge crew will go through some major changes (and a lot of pain getting there in some cases) and start seeing the world in radically different ways. For the mainstream, this will probably translate into a vague sense of dis-ease or agitation over the status quo, but it won't be easy to put a finger on why. There may be some baby steps towards questioning "givens" in the world, even if no earth-shaking breakthroughs occur. We've got all year to sort this one out, since Chiron repeats this contact on Jun 1 (conjunct Mars) and Nov 10 (conjunct Pallas). Follow your questions and your hunches.
By the way, Chiron seems to have an affinity for Valentine's Day. In 1996, he reached his perihelion (the closest approach to the Sun in its orbit) in Libra on this day. In 1997, during the Grand Finale period, he hit a retrograde station on Feb 13. Could this be a connection between Chiron and relationships we haven't articulated yet? Could it have something to do with the myth that Chiron received his fatal wound at a wedding party? Something to ponder...
Also on Valentine's Day, Mars moves from Scorpio into Sagittarius. As with Ceres, this is a longer than usual stay, due to Mars' retrograde cycle coming up in May. Whereas Scorpio makes Mars more passionate and inward-directed, Sag fills him with enthusiasm for outer world matters. The urge to move out and explore, to take in new experiences and interests, comes to the fore. Considering the retrograde part of the story, there are probably some barriers or limitations that are inhibiting people from taking command of their situations that need to be overcome. In fact, the retrograde zones of Mars and Chiron overlap nicely, both in time and space, making this a period when we need to relearn the proper use of will-power and a more forward, direct form of self-expression. Mars energy, a pure yang influence, seems to get a bad rap these days, especially from women that reject its more militant or patriarchal manifestations. But Mars is more than "just" a warrior. It's also the power to change the world expressed by any individual dedicated to a cause or a vision. The problem is not in the use of power per se, but in the vision that motivates that power. Used properly, it's applying your power to overcome old wrongs and evils, force meeting force in order to say "enough is enough!" With Sagittarius, there's a need to reassess your goals and visions, then begin to fight vigorously for your ideals. You may find yourself skipping around aimlessly from issue to issue until you finally find something that kindles the fires and passions within. Don't be ashamed to stand for something. Mars finally leaves Sag on Sep 8.
Juno leaves Pisces and enters Aries on the 18th. This will certainly shake up a few relationships! Juno is the queen of partnerships between equals. Unfortunately, Pisces can bring out a "victim-y" side of the Juno story, a side that is too accomodating for its own good. As she moves into Aries, it's no more Mr./Ms. Nice. There's a shift to being more assertive and demanding an equal say in partnership matters. There's less of an urge to go along peacefully or put up with unsatisfying situations, and more of a tendency to assert your needs and desires. If you can't satisfy your desires with a partner, a powerful irritation or impatience can result -- it's easier to start a fight under Aries than any other sign. Yes, stand up for yourself, but you must do so respectfully and without undermining your partner. Remember they're feeling feisty too these days, and Juno scorned is full of jealousy and rage. If, on the other hand, you can both learn to work together and engage the world from a shared point of view, this can be a time when the fires of love burn bright and hot. You can succeed better as a team that works together than as two separate people at odds with each other. Juno will shift into Taurus on Apr 13.
The new moon chart boasts yet another T-square, but with a totally different character. This one, at 4 degrees of mutable signs, is a lot lighter and more flexible than any we've seen so far this month. With Saturn out of the picture (finally), this T-square is much easier to swallow. Mars is teaming up with happy-go-lucky Jupiter, which brings out his more enthusiastic, energetic side. There's more room for movement and compromise than earlier this month, less of a tendency to dig in your heels and stand your ground. There's also less of a cerebral influence, as we start to let the feelings and intuition have more play. Note that Mercury will hit its direct station in 2 days -- you may feel "brain dead" now, but it will be improving shortly. Don't settle for short-cut answers now, but let your mind play with new ideas and insights as they come up. Deeper levels of the psyche are active, even as the thinking mind is on the blink, so answers may come in unexpected ways. Life is starting to move again -- time to climb out of our ruts!