Words from Fra Angelico:
Life is so generous a giver, but we, judging its gifts by their coverings, cast them away as ugly or heavy or hard. Remove the covering, and you will find beneath it a living splendor, woven of love, and wisdom, and power. Welcome it, greet it, and you touch the angel’s hand that brings it.
Everything we call a trial, a sorrow, a duty, believe me, that angel’s hand is there, the gift is there, and the wonder of an overshadowing Presence.
Our joys, too, be not content with them as joys. They, too, conceal diviner gifts.
Life is so full of meaning and purpose, so full of beauty beneath its covering, that you will find earth but cloaks your heaven.
The Astrology of February 2021
Mercury Remains Retrograde (starting at 26 degrees Aquarius on January 30) There is so much focus on Aquarius these days, with Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, and Venus in the sign through February 18 when the Sun moves in to Pisces. Mercury’s retrograde passage speaks of the re-consideration and reformulation of several of the most prominent storylines in our lives right now. Mercury’s thinking and communication style in Aquarius is sustained, penetrating, cerebral and beyond – easily catching thought forms from the universal mind. If there is a reconfiguration of any kind happening – Mercury here helps out-of-the-box thinking. And with the recent cazimis of Jupiter and Saturn – we just had a couple of seed moments around both of these planets’ stories in our lives. As they are both still hidden behind the Sun’s beams, the seed is still in the ground, and Mercury’s retrograde is supporting that reconfiguration process.
February 1: Venus enters air sign Aquarius – Air is relational, sociable, fluid, restless, dynamic, conceptual, curious and intellectual. Venus’ performance of connection becomes cerebral and intuitive. The love language is verbal and interesting. Nourishing a fertile field of positive relation means bringing the intelligent, big picture, vital and alive conversations to a varied round table of equally interesting individuals.
February 1: Sun square Mars: Writing this after the fact but note that on this day the Myanmar civilian president was detained in a military coup. The Sun represents the civilian leader and Mars represents the military. This is the closing square of this aspect, like a third quarter Moon. It will be interesting to watch for the next Sun Mars conjunction, October 7, 8, 9 of 2021 for a significant development on this. Also check out this eerie video where a fitness instructor films her routine as a moment from the coup is unfolding in the background. What’s interesting is the BBC points out that the lyrics in the song include “they are coming one by one to take over the throne”. To me this is an instance of consciousness is unified and alive in all things, and synchronicity is an accessible way for us to see this.
February 5: Venus conjunct Saturn – In its “positive” expression (in parentheses because honestly how can we really know. Bitter medicine is healing too.), the manifestation of duty and commitment. Making responsibility look good; have a refined expression. The systematization of benefit or of pleasure. Seeking the good, seeking what connects humanity, through structure and through institution. In its “negative” expression, icing someone or something out, cold and distance, being unavailable to be related to, a calculating approach to pleasure, a cynical, harsh, cold distance, the testing of relationship, the distance required to enable focus.
February 8: Mercury Cazimi – Interior Conjunction
February 9: Saturn’s Heliacal Rise – Saturn is visible again, to the right of the Sun, rising before the Sun at dawn. This is a very crucial moment where the significations of Saturn are apparent after being hidden behind the Sun’s rays for some time, performing all kinds of inner and hidden operations. If you are keeping a Cazimi Journal, this is a moment to note.
February 11: New Moon at 23 degrees Aquarius – An uncommon New Moon. What is remarkable about this New Moon is that 6 of the 7 visible planets are congregated in one sign. This is a tremendous concentration of energy in just one sign. While in the natal chart, the planets are representatives of different areas of life, this concentration suggests there is an inordinate focus on one area, and several life topics kind of funnel their own energies through this one area. How is this showing up for you? Look at Aquarius in your natal chart. Or reflect on your life and see what the root note or recurring theme of this moment in your life is. This New Moon is kissed by the double blessing of 1) Jupiter and Venus co-present in Aquarius – merely ooccupying the same sign and 2) Venus and Jupiter conjunct to the degree on the day of the New Moon. The significance of this lunation is underscored by the recent Jupiter Saturn conjunction in the sign that initiated the earth into a new 200-year era of air sign focus.
February 11: Venus conjunct Jupiter at 12 degrees Aquarius – A beautiful and auspicious combination. Read the New Moon description for Feb 11 above.
February 16: Jupiter’s Heliacal Rise: Jupiter is visible again, to the right of the Sun, rising before the Sun at dawn. This is a very crucial moment where the significations of Jupiter are apparent after being hidden behind the Sun’s rays for some time, performing all kinds of inner and hidden operations. If you are keeping a Cazimi Journal, this is a moment to note.
February 17: Saturn square Uranus exact at 7 degrees Aquarius / Taurus – Moon is joining Saturn/Uranus. This is the first of three Saturn Uranus squares this year. These squares can play out from the individual level all the way up to the social and collective level, physically. Of course, all these energies have locations internal to us as well, in our inner most being. This square is about the tension between establishment and the chaotic emergence of something new. System vs. Chaos, novelty vs. known, order vs. havoc. The innovation that is born of necessity. There is a way for these forces to work together but they must confront each other with some degree of clash first (the square is of Mars’ nature). Ultimately an adjustment needs to be made that requires each side to give some ground. I look forward to having more to say on this in future.
February 18: Venus square Mars at 22 degrees Aquarius and Taurus – Moon is joining in Taurus – This is a fixed square that can amplify the tension between wanting peace and stubbornly fighting for something or defending a pet position or possession. Second century Hellenistic astrologer Vettius Valens had this to say about this planetary combination: “make [people] unsteady and weak of mind; cause rivalry…., cause [people] to have many friends, but to be fickle…plotters…”. Charles Obert comments that Mars seems to have a corrupting effect on Venus. I think Mars kind of charges Venus up. Venus is typically more chill, and Mars is more energetic and looking for the next thing to be riled up about. There could be some mitigation here as Venus receives Mars into her home (Mars is in Venus’ home sign of Taurus). But it is like a gracious host receiving a quarrelsome person for dinner….
February 18: Sun enters Pisces.
February 20: Mercury stations direct at 11 degrees Aquarius
February 25: Venus enters her exaltation in Pisces. Water is wavering, forceful in its silence, emotional, comfort and security-seeking. Connection is quieter, more apt to center around suggestions of the beautiful, ethereal, melancholic, mystical, and sentimental. Venus in Pisces exudes an at ease attitude that creates approachability and the suggestion of permeability.
February 26/27 – Full Moon at 8 degrees Virgo/Pisces
*Note: Venus’ heliacal set may have happened in late January. Go out at sunset to see if you can still see Venus in early February. Better yet watch every night as she disappears if she’s still visible. The heliacal set and rise (and the inbetween invisibility) are crucial moments in the planet’s lifecycle!
