Astro Notes for New Moon in Aquarius cycle (Feb 9-March 9)
Even though I’m now practicing astrology for a living, it never ceases to amaze me just how reliably it works. For the last few months of 2023, with Pluto (the planet of transformation) still passing through Capricorn (the “established order”) and several planets moving retrograde, it was a hard, heavy slog for most of us. Back then, any astrologer could see that we were in for a powerful shift early in the new year, with Pluto moving into Aquarius (the sign of the future) on January 20. Yet when you’re really wading through the muck, it can be hard to have faith that the heaviness will ever actually lift.
But now here we are on the other side of the divide, and the rush of forward momentum is palpable. Along with Pluto having moved into Aquarius on January 20, Uranus turned direct on January 27 -- meaning that, since then, all planets have been moving forward and will continue to do so until April. Suddenly we’ve entered a fast current hurtling downstream. We’re still in Aquarius season of course, that annual time of year when the Sun makes its visit to the sign of the visionary. And during this new moon cycle, Mercury (our thoughts), Mars (our actions), and Venus (our desires) also move through Aquarius. That’s a lot of support for innovative thinking and forward progress.
If you’re anything like me, it has been feeling like a window to Cosmic Mind has suddenly opened and the codes for the next cycle are rushing in. Finally. Thank you.
Yet it’s also a period when the pressure to change may at times become extremely intense.
During this new moon cycle, there are six conjunctions between planets, an unusually high number. Whenever two planets come together in the sky, it represents the end of one cycle of time and the beginning of another. (Each month, for instance, when the Sun and the Moon meet, forming a new moon, it signifies the beginning of a new monthly cycle.) This means we will encounter a remarkable number of opportunities during this month’s cycle to re-invent ourselves, to make fresh new starts. Many new creative sequences are being initiated; we would do well to give ourselves as much space as possible to pay attention to what is coming in.
Major transits
Feb 9: New Moon in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus
The cycle began with a bang with a new moon in Aquarius, opening a portal for the new codes to start pouring in. The new moon was in a square to Uranus in Taurus, which may have brought a surprising turn of events that revealed what we needed to break free from in order to be able to follow the golden path to the future.
Feb 13: Mars enters Aquarius, Mars conjunct Pluto at 0 degrees Aquarius
First Mars, then a few days later Venus, conjoins Pluto at zero degrees of Aquarius. This is the same degree where the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn took place in December 2020, which announced the beginning of the Aquarian era we are entering. Whenever a planet crosses the same degree of a significant earlier transit, it will tend to re-activate the same themes. So we are getting another jump start into the Aquarian Age. but this time it’s personal.
Mars in Aquarius will drive a lot of progressive change, not toward self-centered goals but in service of a higher ideal. Mars (the god of war) conjunct Pluto (the god of death), though, is a beast to be reckoned with. This is an intense, explosive energy that can easily bring out our worst instincts. We won’t want to back down from a conflict at this time, yet if we act out our impulses we could cause real damage. We can’t simply take cover and hide until the transit passes either. The only way through is to face into the intensity with the courage to change. If we can apply our courage to take responsibility for our own shadow, especially when we don’t want to, the immense force of this transit can work with us to empower our transformation.
Feb 16: Venus enters Aquarius, Venus conjunct Pluto at 0 degrees Aquarius
With Venus in Aquarius, what we want and how we relate to others is up for a change. We may like to connect with others around idealistic concepts and visions that serve the greater whole.
Yet with Venus conjoining Pluto, we first need to encounter our most vulnerable personal secrets and destructive relational tendencies. We will be asked to get honest and real in our existing relationships, likely at a deeper level than we ever have before. Nothing less than a revolution in how we relate to others is on the table here, and it’s not for the faint of heart. What may help is to remember that this struggle is not merely personal, but how we make our participation in the collective transformation real. The new codes need to take root not only in our service work for the world but also in our most intimate relationships.
Feb 18: Sun enters Pisces
When the Sun moves through Pisces, the boundaries of our ego self become more permeable to the greater reality and mystery of existence as a whole. We are less defined in our separate identity, more fluid and changeable. Our separate self, with all its efforts and anxieties, can feel like it is being subsumed into the vast ocean of being. It’s a time for letting go, surrender, completion. We are more sensitive to subtle influences so it can be helpful at this time to be especially mindful about what we feed our bodies and minds. Spiritual practice and art of all kinds are generally favored now. We can also use this period to reflect on what we have learned from the astrological cycle that is closing and what new seeds we want to plant for the one about to begin.
Feb 19: Chiron conjunct NN at 16 degrees Aries
If we were not already tenderized by the intensely transformative crucible of Mars-Pluto and Venus-Pluto over the previous week, Chiron conjunct the Moon’s North Node on Feb 19 is sure to do the job. The wound (Chiron) to our sense of self (Aries) is arguably the deepest wound there is. Here we get a profound opportunity to integrate our primal wound in a way that directly serves our soul’s evolutionary purpose. Our deepest wound and our greatest service are inextricably linked. Making this connection conscious is in many ways the great work of our soul.
Feb 21: Venus conjunct Mars at 5 degrees Aquarius
Venus conjunct Mars is the quintessential energy of sexual creativity. In Aquarius the expression will tend to be more cerebral and unusual. With Pluto just a few degrees away, explorations of power or other taboo aspects of sexuality may be emphasized. We are still in range of the Chiron-North Node transit, however, so any risk-taking here should be weighed against the impact on our still tender intimate relationships.
Feb 22: Mercury enters Pisces
When our thinking function (Mercury) opens into the vast ocean of being (Pisces), it’s time to listen to the messages of the gods. Creative people and empaths tend to love this time of year; tax accountants and bookkeepers, not so much.
Feb 24: Virgo Full Moon
The Virgo full moon is opposite Saturn and Mercury in Pisces. We may feel that our efforts are being opposed by a heavy, restrictive force. Even after all the transformative work we’ve done this month, we are still not breaking through. Patience is called for here. Deep change is happening but it needs to be stabilized. The ruler of the Moon, Mercury, is conjunct the Sun, suggesting that something needs to be understood first before the new energies can land in a real form.
Feb 28: Sun-Mercury-Saturn conjunction at 9 degrees Pisces
If we have managed to pass through the gate of the heavy Virgo full moon, this day augurs well to deliver substantial change. Sun conjunct Mercury offers a powerful reset of our mental plane, involving a death of tired mental patterns and the birth of fresh ideas. A brilliant new idea or project may come into conceptual form. With the conjunction with Saturn, the structures, work ethic, and time-frame required to make this vision a reality are likely to come through too.
March 8: Mercury-Neptune conjunction at 27 degrees Pisces
The channel is wide open now for communion with sublime subtle forces. This is a wonderful day to spend close to nature and in reverence for the mysteries of this existence.