Sign up for our newsletterThis month’s celestial alignments are unfolding to help us set our desires and values and move into a sustainable and gratifying life.
BY SUZANA DA COSTA
We are moving tentatively toward understanding our challenges. That’s what February’s astrological outlook is all about.
Consider the strength of the fixed signs—Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius—to hold steady. The flip side is their weakness: resisting change. There is a risk in moving too quickly without careful consideration. But holding on too firmly inhibits growth and change.
A new moon on February 2 will square Uranus in Taurus, inviting us to step into the growing pains of a new paradigm. It gives us discomfort but nourishes the potential of our future selves. This new moon highlights the desire to build a physically secure existence but it clashes with the “truth” that individuals hold within the human collective and society.
On February 3, we’ll see Mercury stationing direct in Capricorn, followed by a conjunction of the Sun and Saturn in Aquarius on the 4th. This emphasizes the message of caution and discipline: slow down and observe information that is coming to light. Turn your attention toward new information and it will help you to choose the right path forward. Both Mercury and Venus have been busy revisiting the territory that hosted the Saturn/Pluto conjunction of January 2020. They’re giving us an opportunity to adjust our values to accommodate what unfolded from that alignment: a deep-reaching renewal and transformation of the power structures that deal with authority.
By heeding the message to stop, look and listen before Mercury’s return to Aquarius, we have an opportunity to see what lies beneath the veneer of a civilized society (and our own masks, too) and what can be learned when we question tradition and authority (Capricorn) and freedom and equality (Aquarius).
Examining our own attitudes about tradition and authority can help us to create a balanced journey, allowing us to take advantage of Mercury trining the North Node in Taurus. It will also prepare us for the full moon in Leo on the 16th. That full moon brings to light the strained relationship between a reformative attitude and a more traditional, risk-averse approach. At first glance, we might see a paradox in the transit of Saturn (the planet of boundaries, rules and limits) moving through Aquarius (the sign of freedom, revolution and progressive reformation) and Uranus (the planet of new ideas, shocking developments and technology) moving through the sign that best represents peace, security, and stability (Taurus). The planets are not in conflict with these concepts. But we are.
We must recognize that Saturn and Uranus are working together to realize democracy, freedom and human rights. Facing the shadow of our own motivations will contribute to our personal and collective evolution as a species.
Some questions to ask ourselves that tap into the spirit of this full moon are:
* Am I comfortable standing out in society?
* What affirms my individual existence?
* Does my individuality depend on being accepted by others?
* What values am I willing to concede or hide in order to blend in?
* How are my small choices and actions creating my present and future reality?
The second half of February feels softer than the first. Yes, the square from Mercury continues to highlight the contrast between the struggle for freedom and a clinging to convention. However, we can savour a moment of compassion and selfless love that can come on the 17th from a sextile between Jupiter in Pisces and Uranus in Taurus. Blink and you might miss it, but it could help to liberate you from old habits.
Except for the square of Mercury to Uranus in Taurus on February 24, the remainder of the month feels harmonious and we’re likely to feel the long rendez-vous between Mars and Venus in Capricorn. This meeting between them is both rare and highly significant as they usually meet briefly, making one conjunction before Venus hurries away. Because Venus has recently been retrograde, the conjunction will be maintained for more than three weeks from February 13 (at 14 degrees Capricorn) to March 9. They’ll continue as they cross from Capricorn into Aquarius, when Venus will slowly start to outpace Mars at two degrees Aquarius.
In essence, the joining of Venus and Mars brings passion and the motivation to fight for what we value. In Capricorn, that passion can be repressed, but this feels more like a slow, controlled and sustained kindle throughout the second half of February. Along with the sextile to Neptune at 22 Pisces on February 22 and 23, and the trine to the North Node at 28 Taurus on February 28, this conjunction will help us to harness our desires into something that will gain momentum and be difficult to stop.
By considering what motivates, fulfils and defines us, we have the opportunity this month to lay the foundation for the transits unfolding in March.
Suzana Da Costa is a counselling astrologer and homeopath. She has been a holistic health practitioner since 2016 and is a mentor for diploma program students at the Montreal Institute of Classical Homeopathy. She’s passionate about helping people step out of old patterns and discover how to connect with the larger energy patterns that move us. She can be reached at suzana@heartstarhealing.com.
