2018 started with a bang! More exactly with a Full Moon in Cancer which was also a Super Moon. January ended with a second Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Leo. Not only did we have two Full Moons instead of one within one month, but what made January so special is that both lunations were super potent – the first one took place in its home sign Cancer, relating to our feeling, foundation, and security and the second was a Lunar Eclipse representing conclusions, completions, and endings. At the beginning of the year, when the Sun is at its lowest strength (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere), the Moon is more powerful than ever. The Moon is usually associated with the feminine principle – if you are a woman, in January lots of things were bubbling below the surface. The Moon manifests whatever the Sun imagines and designs; the Moon is consciousness in action.
As we begin February 2018 there is no Full Moon this month. This happens only four or five times in a century. Last time, it happened was 1999. So, February 2018 will be a quieter month than usual, at least emotionally, but not entirely, because Jupiter in Scorpio squares
Venus on February 4th, the Sun on February 10th, and Mercury in Aquarius on February 13th all of which can represent challenges we need to overcome with regards to relationships, creativity, and thinking about the future. Fortunately, we are able to forgive and understand as Venus enters compassionate Pisces on February 10th to help with the other transits. Whenever Venus moves into the sign of Pisces, we have some time to feel the purest kind of love — gentle and sympathetic as demonstrated by Mother Teresa. We get a little soft in the heart and our focus shifts to caring for those who are unable to care for themselves.
The big news in February though is the first Solar Eclipse of the year occurring in the humanitarian sign of Aquarius. This partial Solar Eclipse on Thursday, February 15, 2018 occurs at 27° Aquarius, for those of you keeping track. This innovative New Moon has us looking in the future and everything that is new seems fascinate and very attractive. Also, over the next six months or so, we will encounter new and usual people, places and things that grab our attention….UFO’s perhaps? There are several aspects to this lunation that favor ideas and communication because it closely aligns with the planet Mercury. Solar Eclipse conjunct Mercury means the major focus of this eclipse is on our thinking and self-expression. Mercury also rules rationality and reasoning, primary and secondary education, our neighborhood, siblings and cousins, short distance transport, news and information.
Mercury is fast, lively, adaptable, variable, unemotional and curious. An increase in mental activity will also come from general chit-chat and the sharing of ideas and opinions. You will want to talk about topics that interest you as well as the news of the day, in discussions, conversations, meetings and debates. This Solar Eclipse signals the right time to start a blog on the internet or to write a book. It is also a good time to make plans and start business deals, to bargain, buy and sell. The other major alignment will be a sextile to Uranus (the ruler of Aquarius). The planet Uranus is associated with technology, human nature, originality, and doing things in an unusual manner. The Moon on the other hand represents the feminine side of life, emotions, feelings, and women in general.
During this Eclipse cycle with Uranus in the mix we can find ourselves in discussions and ideas arising from new concepts in real estate or ideas that define marriage or women’s rights and health issues. There could also be debates about modern, unusual and controversial family structures such as same-sex parenting and other non traditional relationships. Scientific and technological breakthroughs affecting fertilization and pregnancy will certainly be controversial and lead to ethical debates. The implications of the cervical cancer vaccine and others medical discoveries will be increasingly important topics of debate, especially in religiously conservative communities. Uranus makes this an eclipse of positive change, greater personal freedom and choice. This expressive aspect to Uranus will give confidence to millions of people who have been too scared or shy to “come out” about their sexuality and other lifestyle choices.
Our mind is directed by emotions, dreams, visions and intuition on February 17th when Mercury enters self-sacrificing Pisces. The logic is not very important, when Mercury transits Pisces. We become good and empathetic listeners. When the planet of reason moves into the watery sign of compassion, traditional methods of making decisions go out the window. In Pisces, the mental activity of Mercury moves into a completely different realm — the world of fantasy and dreams. Whatever your own method of mental reasoning is, you will undoubtedly encounter people who do not have their feet on the ground during this period. They won’t care about being practical or working toward goals. They’ll just be floating from one experience to another. If you happen to be a practical type yourself, you’ll find yourself wondering how they ever manage to survive in this hustle bustle world. But there’s a lesson there about living in the now — if only for a moment.
The last major transit of the month occurs on February 18th when the Sun enters Pisces as well. Over the next few weeks we become more empathic, more sensitive to others’ feelings. We cultivate more compassion and we’ll spend more time helping others. Pisces is a mutable, water sign. Mutable means changeable, flexible. Water has no shape of its own, yet it permeates everything and absorbs everything. Its power is deceiving and seductive. And so is the Sun in Pisces. As with the other water signs, when the Sun is in Pisces we tend to absorb the emotions of those around us. We don’t just understand how they feel, we feel what they feel. This is how we learn about compassion. But it can also be a tremendous burden, for not only do we lose ourselves in the process; we want to fix the problems. We can take on responsibility for the whole world if we’re not careful. While the Sun is in Pisces, it is important for us all to take some time alone, to recharge our own batteries, and to find ourselves again.
Psychic Astrologer
Joseph P. Anthony
Amazed with your knowledge.
Your insights are so accurate. It is uncanny.
Thank you very much