Monthly Astro Forecast: Solar Eclipse in Aquarius
This week's new moon, on February 15th, is a solar eclipse, an exact alignment of the Sun and Moon in the heavens, so that if we are lucky enough to be in the part of the world where the eclipse is visible, the Moon blocks out the Sun. A dark Moon that's darker than usual, a potent seed point for a new cycle. The eclipse is at 27° Aquarius, and wherever it falls in your natal chart will show what area of your life this energy moves in. What is in the dark that needs to be brought into the light? Where is the shadow falling for you? We feel eclipses most strongly when when make close connections to our natal planets, and they are often trigger points for change, picking up on outer planet transits and processes already at work. An eclipse in Aquarius highlights the search for truth, the seeking and fulfilling of an ideal, and abstraction that we may never quite be able to reach. Mercury, planet of intelligence and ideas, is close the the Sun and Moon at the time of the eclipse. Mercury is exalted in Aquarius, able to reach its highest expression, connecting us all through the web of our ideas and perceptions. Aquarius is the sign of the collective, of society and groups and community, and as such can sometimes disregard the individual, believing individual needs to be of lesser importance than the collective good. A close semi-sextile (a minor aspect bringing helpful energies) to Chiron in Pisces adds compassion and the potential for healing, or risks alienation and isolation. As ever, the links to our natal charts are our clearest path. The Moon, Sun and Mercury are all in sextile aspect to Uranus, co-ruler of Aquarius and the Great Awakener. No hiding from the truth with this eclipse. There is clarity here, a vision of perfection which we hope to fulfil.
But the eclipse chart is not without its challenges. A close square between Mars in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces adds mutability and adaptability, but also confusion and a lack of focus. We risk the energy dissipating, draining away as we gaze at an ideal which may simply be beyond our reach, or which seems so unattainable we are unable even to take the first step. This aspect becomes exact on February 17th, and ideally we can make the best use of it by focusing our energy into whatever gives life meaning, whatever connects us to the universal. It may feel difficult to act, but if we allow compassion and empathy to fuel our decisions we can make good things happen. There's also a sextile between Venus and Saturn in the eclipse chart, exact later the same day, helping us to manifest our dreams and give structure to that which lacks boundaries. We may need to be careful not to squash down our compassion with an excess of realism or pessimism. Act from the heart, giving our highest truth the value it deserves.
Compassion takes centre stage in the coming days as we move into Pisces season, with the Sun and Mercury both moving into that sign on February 18th, joining loving Venus (exalted in Pisces as the sign of universal love). Pisces energy is heightened as the inner planets pass over hazy Neptune, Venus on February 21st, Mercury a few days later on the 25th and the Sun on March 4th. Mercury and Venus also pass Chiron in Pisces on March 4th. We may find ourselves drifting through life, feeling vague and confused and unable to get anything tangible done. And that's as it should be, for Pisces is the sign of transcendence, of devotion to a spirit beyond ourselves. In Pisces our awareness dilates, we dissolve into the cosmic ocean and connect back to our source. We slip and slide, escape and hide - into the spirit realms, into our addictions, into myriad other dimensions. We need to be careful not to get so lost that we can't find the way back, for that way lies madness and chaos and addiction. And yet the connection to source can bring healing, a sense of wholeness which most of us lack in our everyday lives. Sometimes we need to be reminded that there's more to life than our everyday perceptions. We return from the oceans of Pisces with renewed imagination and creativity, full of soul-deep nourishment and brimming with love.
Pisces is the gateway to the new cycle of the zodiac, and the fires of Aries begin to spark as Mercury and Venus both pass that threshold on March 6th. A few days later, Jupiter the teacher goes stationary retrograde in Scorpio, slowing in the heavens to expand the waters of the unconscious still further, reminding us of the wisdom we hold deep within us. Jupiter is the traditional ruler of Pisces, the energy of expansion, showing us an ever broader vision of reality. What dreams will you grow as the wheel of the zodiac turns?
Compassion takes centre stage in the coming days as we move into Pisces season, with the Sun and Mercury both moving into that sign on February 18th, joining loving Venus (exalted in Pisces as the sign of universal love). Pisces energy is heightened as the inner planets pass over hazy Neptune, Venus on February 21st, Mercury a few days later on the 25th and the Sun on March 4th. Mercury and Venus also pass Chiron in Pisces on March 4th. We may find ourselves drifting through life, feeling vague and confused and unable to get anything tangible done. And that's as it should be, for Pisces is the sign of transcendence, of devotion to a spirit beyond ourselves. In Pisces our awareness dilates, we dissolve into the cosmic ocean and connect back to our source. We slip and slide, escape and hide - into the spirit realms, into our addictions, into myriad other dimensions. We need to be careful not to get so lost that we can't find the way back, for that way lies madness and chaos and addiction. And yet the connection to source can bring healing, a sense of wholeness which most of us lack in our everyday lives. Sometimes we need to be reminded that there's more to life than our everyday perceptions. We return from the oceans of Pisces with renewed imagination and creativity, full of soul-deep nourishment and brimming with love.
Pisces is the gateway to the new cycle of the zodiac, and the fires of Aries begin to spark as Mercury and Venus both pass that threshold on March 6th. A few days later, Jupiter the teacher goes stationary retrograde in Scorpio, slowing in the heavens to expand the waters of the unconscious still further, reminding us of the wisdom we hold deep within us. Jupiter is the traditional ruler of Pisces, the energy of expansion, showing us an ever broader vision of reality. What dreams will you grow as the wheel of the zodiac turns?