One of 2020’s most powerful, long-lived and harmonious aspects – a Jupiter-Neptune sextile – highlights the second half of February. There’s also plenty more packed into this eventful half-month, including Mercury turning retrograde, a Pisces New Moon, and two powerful aspect patterns!

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2/16 (Sun)

Mercury Retrograde

Mercury turns retrograde at 7:53 PM EST (12°53′ Pisces). It will turn direct again on 3/9 at 1:49 PM EDT (28°12′ Aquarius).

Mercury represents the mind, so its backward movement favors reflection over action. You can contemplate whatever you like. But Mercury’s sign placements during its retrograde invite you to meditate on specific themes.

Mercury’s Signs

Pisces

Today through 3/3, Mercury is retrograde in Pisces. How are you doing in the life-affirming expressions of this sign? They include spiritual union practices, inspired creativity, unconditional love and compassion, dream work, and living in flow state.

Are you experiencing any challenging Pisces energy? This could include substance abuse, excessive escapism, aimless drifting or playing the victim.

Aquarius

Mercury spends the final six days of its retrograde, 3/4 thru 3/9, in Aquarius. Are you being your authentic self, following your intuitive flashes, and serving others using the special gifts you most love to use? Are you experiencing challenging Aquarian manifestations such as nervousness, irritability, or erratic behavior?

Unless it’s obvious that change is needed immediately, stay mindful of the relevant themes instead of taking immediate action. But Mercury retrograde is a great time for making an action plan that you can implement once it’s direct!

Aspects

The aspects Mercury makes as it goes retrograde further describe your opportunities. Mercury’s conjunction to Neptune puts additional emphasis on the importance of the Piscean themes already described.

Mercury’s square to the Sagittarian Moon can amplify your emotional responses. Your soul-aligned choices could feel really good, while disharmonious choices may feel really bad! This hard aspect could also fuel a desire for more adventure and excitement in your life.

Mercury’s final important aspect as it turns retrograde is a semi-square to Saturn. This could bring up some challenge when you’re off course with your soul purpose … or could introduce an obstacle to test your ability to move forward on your proper path! The surest way to tell the difference is by following your intuitive guidance, or tuning in to your enthusiasm.

The Usual Stuff

You already know that Mercury retrograde is great for contemplation and reflection. It’s also good for repairs and completing projects you had already started.

If possible, avoid starting important new endeavors or making major purchases during Mercury retrograde. (If you must, be prepared to deal with glitches or repairs.) In your communications, be sure you’re understanding and being understood. Double-check travel arrangements and travel mindfully.

Western society tends to overvalue yang and undervalue yin. Mercury retrograde invites you to make a little more quiet time in your life. This can help make sure that whatever you do truly serves you, as well as all those affected by your actions.

Cradle Begins

Intuitively guided action aligned with your soul purpose is supported by a Cradle. This flowing aspect pattern starts today, peaks on 2/23 and ends on 3/1. It includes the Sun, Mars, Uranus and the lunar nodes.

Intuition has two astrological flavors, and both are included in this harmonious aspect pattern. The Sun is in Pisces, which offers a continuous waterfall of divine guidance and energy. In contrast, the inner knowing offered by Uranus flashes in like a lightning strike. It’s more like a “Eureka!” or “Aha!” moment.

Mars represents assertiveness and action in the world. In Capricorn, it has extra endurance and a passion for material accomplishment.

Soul purpose is represented by the lunar nodes. The South Node is in Capricorn, while the North Node is in Cancer. This invites you not to go overboard on work or get caught up in unnecessary structure or rigidity. Be sure to make room in your heart for love, family, and the full experience of your emotions.

Mercury joins this Cradle 2/21 through 3/1, conjoining the Sun in Pisces. The winged messenger invites you to learn or teach about any of this aspect pattern’s themes.

2/18 (Tue)

The Sun enters Pisces at 11:57 PM EST. For the next month, it will be easier to do spiritual union practices and receive creative inspiration from your Muse. Pisces also supports you in expressing unconditional love and compassion, operating in flow state, and doing dream work.

2/19 (Wed)

T-Square Begins

Relationships are at the heart of a T-square that starts today, peaks on 2/26 and ends on 3/4. It includes Venus, Juno, Jupiter and Pluto.

Juno represents committed partnership, which highlights the Venusian theme of relationships. The combined potency of Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn will highlight whatever’s going on in your most important relationships. If there are areas that need healing, challenging catalyst is likely. If a relationship is already awesome, this powerful aspect pattern can take it to the next level of wonderful!

As usual, I recommend Marshall Rosenberg’s 4-part Nonviolent Communication Process to help heal relationship challenges. There’s also equally important self-healing work that must be done internally. Get it done quickly and effectively: delegate it to your higher self with my free Healing Invocation.

2/20 (Thu)

Jupiter Sextile Neptune

If 2020 already feels intense, a major factor is the year’s most important aspect: the Saturn-Pluto conjunction that was exact on 1/12. This potent pairing, which will expand into a Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto triple conjunction for most of the year, will bring lots of challenges!

Fortunately, there’s another powerful aspect that will moderate this heaviness: an uplifting Jupiter-Neptune sextile (17°45′ Capricorn-Pisces). It’s exact three times this year: today (2/20), 7/27 and 10/12. It’s in orb (close enough to have an impact) most of the year, 1/9 thru 11/30.

My colleague Renn Butler describes the potentials of Jupiter-Neptune aspects in his extraordinary book The Archetypal Universe: Astrological Patterns in Human Culture, Thought, Emotion and Dreams. With his permission (thank you Renn!) … and because he breaks down the archetypal possibilities so expertly … I give you some of his Jupiter-Neptune descriptions from The Archetypal Universe:

Flowing

• feelings of faith and wonder
• grand ideals and vision
• heightened intuition
• exalted dreams
• expansive inner life
• outpourings of creative expression
• dream-come-true optimism
• a feeling of being buoyed or lifted from within
• blissful states of cosmic unity
• reconnection with divine consciousness
• tolerance and forgiveness
• altruism and generosity
• broad-ranging kindness and compassion
• transcendence of factionalism
• human compassion transcending creed or affiliation
• authentic spiritual institutions
• the humanitarian safety net
• all-encompassing shifts of vision
• the re-visioning and re-enchantment of a culture
• consciousness expanding everywhere
• sacred wonders and pilgrimages
• mystical or spiritual education

Shadow Qualities

Since Jupiter and Neptune are making a harmonious sextile, flowing outcomes are more likely than challenging ones. However, I’ve seen repeatedly that hard aspects can bring positive experiences, and soft aspects can sometimes bring challenge. So be careful to avoid these Jupiter-Neptune pitfalls:

• Overoptimism, rose-colored glasses
• spaced-out, impractical idealism
• new age naïveté and gullibility
• blurred distinctions and belief in anything
• overextension
• excessive generosity
• unwise financial speculation
• illusions of easy material return
• mirages of a glorious prosperity
• fool’s gold
• self-indulgence and laziness combined with high expectations
• excessive ritual trappings and ceremony in religion
• spiritual materialism
• wholesale illusions and projections
• esoteric pretensions
• psychic inflation and grandiosity

Keep your focus on the “Flowing” items above so that this Jupiter-Neptune sextile can help make your life more magical … all the way thru November!

2/21 (Fri)

Mars makes two aspects today: a Mars-Uranus trine (3°22′ Capricorn-Taurus) and a Mars-Chiron square (3°29′ Capricorn-Aries).

The Mars-Uranus trine makes it easier to take immediate action on your intuitive flashes. And with Mars in Capricorn, your action can be enduring and productive!

The Mars-Chiron square could catalyze shadow work as it triggers old wounds. If so, my free Healing Invocation has helped thousands do this inner clearing quickly and easily. This square can also encourage you to exercise your gifts as a healer or mentor.

2/23 (Sun)

Pisces New Moon

February’s New Moon lines up at 10:32 AM EST (4°28′ Pisces). Any Pisces New Moon is great for new beginnings in the following areas:

• spiritual awakening practices
• inspired creativity
• unconditional love and compassion
• dream work
• operating in flow state

Aspects

This New Moon conjoins Mercury. This suggests putting fresh energy into learning, or communicating your message. With Mercury in Pisces, does your message have something do with spirituality, inspired creativity, or unconditional love? Since Mercury is retrograde, you could dive into contemplation on these themes.

As the graphic shows, the rest of this New Moon’s aspects display mirror-image symmetry. The luminaries semi-square Venus and Jupiter, and sextile Mars and Uranus.

The semi-squares to Venus and Jupiter could stir up challenge in the Venusian themes of relationships, creativity or finance. But with Capricornian Jupiter present, these challenges could ultimately breed opportunity when managed skillfully. If you’re already doing well in any of these areas, these minor hard aspects could result in positive outcomes.

The harmonious aspects between the luminaries, Mars and Uranus make it easier to take immediate action based on your intuitive flashes. Your efforts can also benefit from enhanced endurance. And why not express your authentic self into the world in practical ways?

Sabian Symbol

This New Moon’s Sabian Symbol is, “A church bazaar”. This suggests variety within spirituality. In the Piscean spirit of oneness, imagine a religious event where numerous spiritual paths are offered, with each acknowledging and appreciating the gifts of the others.

For example, some members of the spiritually advanced Q’ero tribe, who live in the high mountains of Peru, have seamlessly integrated Catholicism into their shamanic practices. They recognize Jesus as a high-level spiritual master … and also maintain their animistic perception of the exalted divine beings present in the mountains, rivers, and other parts of the natural world.

The Q’ero can do this because they experience the ecstatic spiritual reality underlying both paths. Can you see beyond the particulars of your religion, into the universal spiritual essence it shares with other paths to the divine?

Cradle Peaks

The Sun-Mars-Uranus-Lunar Nodes Cradle that started on 2/16 (and now incorporates Mercury until it ends) peaks today (2/23) and ends on 3/1.

2/26 (Wed)

T-square Peaks

The Venus-Juno-Jupiter-Pluto T-square that started on 2/19 peaks today (2/26) and end on 3/4.

2/28 (Fri)

Wealth and power are available within your relationships, creativity and finances with Venus square Pluto (24°13′ Aries-Capricorn). This hard aspect could also bring challenge in these areas, so stay alert for improvement opportunities. With Venus in Aries, consider taking an assertive approach.

You can receive intuitive flashes more easily with Mercury sextile Uranus (3°39′ Pisces-Taurus). With Mercury in Pisces, you can receive a waterfall of divine information and energy, as well as Uranus’ lightning strikes of inspiration!

Whatever your Sun Sign, my forecasts can help you make the best use of the current astrological energies.

All dates and times are in the U.S. eastern time zone. Events are most powerful on the dates listed, but their influence will be active for at least a week before and after.

Everyone is affected by these global transits. However, you’ll be most powerfully impacted when moving planets activate sensitive points in your natal chart. Discover how these transits will personally affect you by booking a session with me.

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