Your Stars February 2012

Everyone knows the sensation. You are sitting on a train that’s overtaken by another and you feel as though you are traveling backwards. The same illusion is generated by the relative speeds of the planets in their orbit round the Sun. From our point of view on planet Earth all appear to move backwards – or ‘retrograde’ – for periods from three weeks in the case of Mercury to several months for the distant planets out beyond Mars.

To the analogous mind of astrology, retrograde planets equal slow-down, while planets surging forwards equal progress. February thus presents a checkered picture. The majority of the solar system’s bodies are marching forwards, indicating a time of development. Yet with the key planet Saturn now at a standstill and about to track backwards for four months, we are entering a phase where events over the last seven months (since Saturn moved out of retrograde) need to be evaluated and refined. This is particularly the case for those born under the signs of Libra, Aries, Capricorn and Cancer, or for anyone born in 1982.

The other planet in retrograde this month is Mars, which is backtracking through Virgo’s skies – less significant unless you happen to be in its path as a member of the Virgo or Pisces tribes.

Though Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune remain in forward motion, all are going over the ground they covered last year – that applies even to Neptune’s shift into Pisces’ patch of the skies on the 3^rd, where it splashed down last summer. Only spooky Pluto is inching into fresh territory – as a result, expect establishments of all varieties to be stretching their power rather conceding it for now; the challenges to the ‘plutocracy’ come later in the year. For now, those bankers will have their bonuses and eat them!

I would like to thank all the readers who subscribed to my 2012 forecasts, and apologise for the difficulties some experienced with downloading the pdf file. My monthly forecasts will, in one form or another, continue.

Aquarius

Make ‘speedy of thought and swift of action’ your mantra for the first half of February and you won’t go far wrong. Mercury, the planet of cognition and communication, dashes through your skies at breakneck speed until the 14th, favouring you as news bringer and recipient of news. Pointless to second guess yourself or your bright ideas at such a time, far better to twist a few tails and put a few fleas in the ears of others (Mercury is a prankster). You might care to bite your tongue around the full Moon of the 7^th, however, when conditions in your personal life hit a couple of days of turbulence.

Whether you can resolve some of the larger issues in your life in this time frame is open to debate. Saturn sitting at the end of a fellow air sign, Libra, brings property and money issues from 2011 up for re-examination. If you are in a position to clinch a deal, the first few weeks of February have much in their favour, especially if your birthday is around February 18^th. If that is your birthday, wait on decisions until after February 3 when you bid sayonara to Neptune and the fogs of illusion lift.

Another slow-moving ‘out there’ planet, Prometheus/Uranus (one associated with your sign ) emphasises the advantages of being your independent self. Go your own seet way and let the rest of the world catch up later.

In general, financial issues, and especially those in which partners or ex’s feature, look like an impasse. However angry you are at someone else’s spendthrift ways or inability to get their economic affairs in order, a patient unravelling of the mess is called for. Better to concentrate on immediate cash flow, which is better starred after the 20^th. The big bonus in your life is your home, whether you’re moving or staying put, and the support of the family, even if something of a battle of wills is involved. Meanwhile, happy birthday.

Your valentine: moody!

 Pisces

Frustrated? Wresting control of your life is rarely simple around this time of the year, when the Sun is in the zone of your ‘scope concerned with secrets, retreat and duty to others. You may have to acknowledge you’re in a tender, even vulnerable spot in the short term and let events unfold for a couple of weeks while you gather your strength for the brighter outlook that arrives with the new Moon in your skies on the 21^st.

Not that it’s all gloom meanwhile. Venus in your skies until said new Moon makes all social events, including brazen flirtation, a source of satisfaction. Might as well fancy yourself and your chances, or at least launch a charm offensive. The opposition between Venus and Mars on February 1^st also has an important message for those of you who have been in conflict with partners, awkward ex’s and open enemies. Here, Mars in retreat until early April gives you a chance to catch your breath, tentatively offer peace branches (if you’re interested) and use your wiles and guiles to gain the upper hand. Hand to hand conflict, metaphorically speaking (let alone literally) is best avoided, since the red planet will not be out of your way until July. The next couple of months, however, offer good grounds for negotiation and pursuing your agenda regardless of you know who’s.

Mercury’s arrival on Valentine’s Day opens a few weeks when your power with words is enhanced, and when you can expect illumination on what is currently veiled. Dealings with moguls, moneyed types and well-endowed siblings also pick up pace thereafter.

The Pisces new Moon late on the 21^st is your personal new year’s day, a point to make a resolution or three. By then Neptune will have entered the Fishes’ heavens for a lengthy stay (13 years no less). Plenty of astrologers will hail this as the start of a wonderful new era, and so it might prove, but don’t get carried away. Neptune was in your sign for a few months last year, and this year is of interest principally to birthdays February 19-23, to whom it offers both the prospect of enhancing your gifts and getting them acknowledged by the world, or – on the downside – self delusion. Stay grounded.!

Your valentine: flighty!

 Aries

Work work work? If you’re lucky, yes. Mars, your totem planet, is in your zone of hard graft for several months yet, reminding you of the advantages (including money) of sticking to daily routine and good health practice. With Mars in retreat until April, it seems that last year’s duties have to be despatched, or if you’re looking for a job, offers from autumn ’11 seem back in the frame over the next couple of months.

Since your horoscope is in many respects a picture of flux, let’s not dwell ton the obstinacy of Saturn in opposition. The good news is that with the ringed planet now in the final degree of your opposite sign, Libra, you can take a long cool look at the most challenging developments of 2011 – indeed, of the last two years – and how to resolve them. To be blunt, nine months more of Saturn is no recipe for an easy life, especially not if your birthday is between April 11-19 and, but at least you know the issues with which you must grapple, especially those involving partners and ex’s. The main thing is thoroughness and adopting certain impersonality when you deal with said problems. If your birthday is March 28-29, you face similar issues of how to handle people apparently more powerful than yourself – in this case refuse to be bullied and don’t try and fight with fire.

No need for such detachment when handling your immediate circle of friends, associates and prospective lovers. Indeed, with Venus arriving in your skies on the 7^th   for a three week stay, your social and romantic life looks set to experience a boost, with the accent on new arrivals and unorthodox people. Oddball artists and idealistic campaigners may not be your usual fare, but perhaps you could get used to them! Before Valentines’ Day arrives, Mercury’s zip through Aquarius hands you the chance of some manic wheeler-dealing and networking. Don’t let your phone flat line!

Your valentine: moody!

 Taurus

Finishing up, starting anew or both? You begin February borne up on a promising new Moon at the peak of your ‘scope, the place where you you’re your mark on the world and gain advancement. Very little happens overnight, even in astrology, but the new Moons of January 23and February 21 both coincide with longer planetary cycles that make this the time to renew your intent, not least in the professional realm.

The main player in the Bull’s affairs remains Jupiter, now sweeping forward through your skies until June. Jupiter’s character errs towards the rosy, and a belief that things will turn out for the best. Temper that with the Bull’s practicality and you have a winning formula. Under present omens there’s little point delaying your plans for world domination (however modest said ‘world’ is); put your schemes to the test and see who salutes.

Simultaneous with Jupiter’s advance is Saturn’s retreat in your work zone, suggesting that a project, maybe more than one, has been fully explored and what remains is essentially consolidation of the efforts you invested (probably over and above the going rate for the job) during the latter half of 2011.

The balance between taking new initiatives and ensuring you get credit for what’s done should keep you busy through to your birthday. The swift passage of lesser planets around the zodiac during February supports all manner of wheeling, dealing, trading and making common cause with colleagues who share your ideals. Projecting a misty-eyed, even utopian set of values does your cause no harm. You may not be able to heal the world alone, but make your voice heard.

Love affairs (rather than established partnerships) are under mixed stars. Mars in retreat asks for a touch of re-evaluation, not least about any affairs into which you have stormed in recent months. Events in earliest February and at the 24th and 28^th may give you clues as to the future, but March is when pivotal events are more likely. If you’re single, try looking up people you met over the last few months and with whom you then lost contact.

Your valentine; fiery!

 Gemini

Twins are not much given to hanging around – impatience to get going is more Gemini’s style. Your current horoscope is a jumble of ‘stop’ and ‘go’ signals however. The latter are the easier to read. With your totem planet, Mercury, so active during February your connections to folks in the world at large are vibrant. Make common cause where you can and ensure your phone is fully charged. The new Moons of January 23and February 21 both emphasise your career and chances to raise your public profile.

The re-arrival of Neptune at the peak of your ‘scope on February 3 caries the same message – a little bluff and braggadocio is in order, providing you don’t start believing your own hype. Neptune, planet of both glamour and disillusion, spends the entire year hovering at the apex of your solar chart – handy if you are certain of your professional path, but likely to make some of you question what said path should be. Answers to that question will doubtless need time, but February’s stars promise important clues, notably at the 14^th and 21^st. Some kind of game plan needs to be in place, ready for the far more advantageous planetary picture that arrives around your birthday.

Matters of the heart look at standstill by comparison. Saturn, austere and serious, is no friend to the spirit of romance, but with the ringed planet stationary in the zone of your ‘scope concerned with your heartstrings, any torments from 2011 (and, for that matter 2010) have also reached their endgame. For some of you, February is about re-assessing what has gone wrong, and how you can put it right in the months to come (clue: by slow degrees), while others may have to deal with the aftermath of a burnt-out affair.

For singles, however, this looks a bright period. Venus, planet of attraction, spends the month introducing you to intriguing newcomers (likely of maverick disposition). Getting out of the house (possibly not your favourite spot right now in any case) helps, but mostly it’s a case of letting your natural curiosity take its course.

Your Valentine: clever!

 Cancer

‘All over the place’ is one way to describe your current horoscope – not in the sense of being scrambled and unfocused, but because with planets scattered around the zodiac, you have to multi-task.

Facing the issues you least want to address is a good place to start, these being represented by Saturn, now stationary in the zone of home and hearth. The good news here is that the taskmaster planet has finished pointing out the weaknesses of your property set-up/living arrangements, and with no more surprises to come, all that remains is for you to devise solutions. Rigour is almost certainly called for, whether you are staring at a problematical mortgage or a less than satisfactory flat-mate, with your personal survival as the driving motive. Get drastic if necessary.

At least the financial fog clouding your outlook promises to lift during February. With Neptune finally clearing the axis of shared resources, and Mercury active in the same spot, your agile mind and a calculator should be able to come up with some answers, though the full Moon of the 7^th is not the best time to implement them.

Neptune’s shift into Pisces early in February is a good thing, at least for those of your born just after midsummer’s day, promising a major new interest or the kind of charmer that comes along too rarely – if it’s the latter, do some checking to ensure they are not too much of a good thing. The new Moon of the 21st is a moment to re-animate yourself and push on all intellectual and creative pursuits, and to hold tight to intellectual powerhouses and inspirational artists (even if you fit those two bills yourself).

Spring is, one way or another, a gilded period for your professional outlook, promising a period of consolidation and expansion for those of your settled in your career, with group projects much in favour. Again, Cancerians born early in your birthday month are promised the most change, perhaps through a radical overhaul of your role, which is not to be feared.

For all of you, the transit of Venus across the roof of your ‘scope from the 9^th offers you the chance to do some showing-off and secure your reputation as a go-too, can-do kind of guy/gal. If you are behind schedule on a project, or let slip an opportunity last autumn, the next couple of months promise a chance to re-connect, re-boot and catch-up.

Your Valentine: sweet.

 Leo

In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s six months since your birthday, and with the Sun, Leo’s celestial body, in opposition, your energy levels may leave something to be desired, especially when dealing with your beloved other half. If you can keep a lid on your discontents for a few weeks more, so much the better. In any case the full Moon of the 7^th, which is in your skies, is not the time for confrontation, though it otherwise makes an apposite time for a spot of personal celebration.

There is plenty of cheer elsewhere in your horoscope. With two major planets active on your behalf, you are at the beginning of a lengthy spell when hacking your way through the professional jungle comes easier than during the somewhat stale latter half of 2011. These are early days, but Jupiter’s brisk transit across the roof of your solar chart is a cue to engage with any movers and shakers next to whom you can sidle, while the arrival of another fortunate planet, Venus, in a fellow fire sign on the 8^th introduces you to less daunting (and potentially more amorous) types.

For those of you already entangled in a relationship, these are not the simplest of times. The new Moon of the 21^st invites you to deepen your involvement, or at least to straighten out issues that involve joint finances, who owns what and who contributes what. With the slippery energies of Neptune involved, the need for clarity above a hope-for-the-best approach is emphasised. Quick fix solutions aren’t the best option – indeed, with the financial axis of your ‘scope under ongoing examination to at least April, stabilisation, ingenuity and (erk) a touch of austerity are all called for in the medium term.

Your Valentine: secretive!

 Virgo

Bothered or bewitched? You begin February with a tasty planetary opposition between Mars in your skies and Venus in your complementary sign of Pisces, a duality that sums up much of what’s to come over the next couple of months. For your part Mars can translate as determination, energy or the kind of downright fury that is not meant to visit goody-two-shoes Virgoans. An exalted Venus spells allure and the chance to make peace with an estranged other party.

Something akin to this pattern prevails over spring, as Mars rewinds through your skies and the mysterioso bundle of energies that’s Neptune arrives in opposition (from February 3). Neptune equals glamour and temptation but also duplicity, an ambiguity that will need your Virgoan faculties of discrimination to unravel, especially if your birthday is August 23-27.. and for ll of you in the period of the new moon at the 21^st.

All of you look likely to have your hands full with relationship issues during February. If it isn’t temptation it’s likely to be conflict (Marsagain) the key requirement being that you keep lines of communication open and clear with your and whichever other half you’re handling (lover, spouse, ex or bridge partner). The new Moon of the 21st brings the chance to make over and make up, and for singletons further opportunities to get fascinated by a dreamboat of your choice. As obsessive Pluto is heavily involved in your romantic life over the next couple of months, anything that smacks of weirdness and abuse is to be avoided at all costs.

Away from your admittedly interesting personal life Jupiter is keen to attract your attention to other kinds of adventure, be it travel or browsing a new shelf at the bookshop. If you are in education, whether as student or teacher, this month and springtime looks enriching, intellectually and spiritually.

Actual riches may have to wait. Saturn haslikely stretched your resources out of your cofrt zone over recent months. Suffice to say that with the auster planet now in rewind, you can recalibrate your budget with more confidence, and chase whatever debts you are owed.

Your Valentine: intense!

 Libra

Talk about time to take stock. Ever since beetle-browed Saturn entered your skies two years ago your world has been under examination, with your worst traits exposed and your strengths called upon. If finances haven’t been an anxiety you have been doing something very right!

Saturn now sits stationary in the last gasp of Libra’s heavens, about to rewind until June before the planet of necessity finally leaves your realm in October. The good news is that the worst is over, the less good news is that you still have to resolve the changes that have been thrust upon you (for which you must nonetheless accept responsibilty), and that resolution and healing takes time.

There are various helpful omens in play. The month of Aquarius, until February 19, helps brings your personal Sun back from the clouds and entices you out of of the house (from which you can likely use an escape). The arrival of your ruling planet, fair Venus, in your complementary sign of Aries on the 8^th throws intriguing partners at singletons, while making the 10^th a time for hitched Librans to tip toe around touchy partners (they will be touchy).

Support, at this time, is where you find it. A rich friend or three would help! Money from assets rather than paid work may also be a useful ploy. With your partnership planet, Mars, stuck behind the scenes, secret rendezvous and hidden opposition could be part of the scene. Don’t go getting paranoid, however. The redeeming asset of a Saturn transit, now matter how trying, is that it thrusts your destiny firmly back into your own hands.

Your Valentine: at hand!

Scorpio

Those intrigued by astrology are sometimes surprised that Scorpio is a water sign – meaning you run not on ideology but on instinct and emotion. The parade of planets passing through Pisces, a kindred water sign, therefore smiles kindly on you in February. The arrival of the giant planet Neptune for an epic 13 year stay in the sign of the Fishes may be an ambiguous omen, but its shift does indicate that a period (perhaps protracted) of unertainty about living arrangements and family is now drawing to a close.

The weeks up to February 19 are certainly good for attacking domestic issues, complicated or otherwise. Most of the action in your ‘scope is of a personal nature, however. Singletons and romantics can flutter lashes or flex muscle to impress their fancy, while smooth talk becomes rich and creamy around Valentine’s Day when Mercury and Neptune meet. Charm and glamour are there for you to milk! If you’re the creative type, these same planets favour inspired work, and if you’re a regular Joanna just trying to get ahead, you have a following wind. Your main danger is taking this fortuitous time for granted – instead, get pushy.

How much you can push your other half, should you have one, is open for debate. Jupiter in opposition pulls helpful individuals into partnership situations through to summer, encourages existing one-on-ones to prosper, but also demands that you give you-know-who space. Taureans are particularly hard to reign in. You might like to release  rather than reassert control…for now.

As your ruling planet, Mars,  is now in contrary (but not hostile) mode for six weeks, you may also have to put grant breathing space to a friend – or committee/posse – with whom you have  recently become estranged. As Scorpios incline to extremes – not you personally, obviously, but in general! – don’t start getting absolute when what’s need is time and process. Besides another pal (or sibling) – someone just as extreme as you, and capable of being just as dark – plays an oddly beneficial part in your affairs this spring.

Your Valentine: a soft touch!

 Sagittarius

First things first. Jupiter, the Archer’s ruler remains strong in the area of your horoscope concerned with work, routine, infrastructure, good practice and health. Given this presence through to June, you might concentrate on keeping the simple things in life uncomplicated and beavering away with all the diligence of a Virgo.

Against the background hum of productivity, you can take delight in (or at last handle) the bigger issues at work in your ‘scope. Home for example (presuming you have one, which is not that certain right now). Neptune’s arrival at the root of your ‘scope on February 3 may not be an immediate earth-shaker, but for some of you (notably birthdays November 23-26), it may tip the balance in how you handle the family and where you decide to locate over the coming year.

The new Moon of the 21st offers important clues for all of you, however, in shaping your domestic set-up. This being something of a tender spot, best spell out patiently and clearly your concerns to those with whom you share living space. No-one should get to trample over anyone else!

For romantics, single or hitched, the arrival of Venus in your zone of flings, parties and heartstrings, promises an eventful three week spell. Single Archers might usefully engage with social scenes off the beaten path (the weekend of the 10^th is particularly promising), and not get fazed if you end up dancing with a devil-may-care Aries or Leo.

The professional path looks a case of two steps forwards one step backwards over this winter. With Mars now backsliding, the next few is likely to constitute the backwards step in that equation. No need to panic, even if you feel a momentary loss of control. Thoroughness, patience and working solo when necessary will solve most of your issues, and if a waspish opponent is involved, best avoid rather than provoke, as Mars is not going away any time soon. Most of February has a busy quality, as the Sun highlights a wheeler-dealer side of your affairs, and, if you are in education, lessons to be learned. Be careful you don’t speak out of turn – at least not harshly – around the full Moon of the 7^th, an excitable moment.

Your Valentine: wild thing!

Capricorn

Having Saturn as one’s ruling planet has its advantages, meaning that where other signs wilt under the weighty issues associated with Saturn (whose metallic correspondence is lead!), Capricorns prove just how resilient and authoritative they are. Saturn represents needs-must, and as it now sits stationary in your career zone, a case of anything-to-survive likely prevails at work. The planet’s retrograde from February 7 doesn’t exactly let you off the hook, but it does ease the pressures under which you have been operating over the last eight months.

The backslide of another planet, Mars, also promises to ease frustrating circumstances. Righteous fury, to which even stoical Caps are not immune, also promises to ebb with Mars’ retreat, not least for birthdays circa January 12-14. You may, however, have to take your foot off the go-faster pedal.

Mostly, your ‘scope has a pleasingly upbeat air. The forward march of Jupiter, ‘the greater benefic’, along with a flurry of planets in Pisces, brings an extrovert, optimistic strand to your outlook. In terms of romance, friendship and meeting new people, February and March promise a flurry of activity and well-wishing. For those of you with creative jobs or past-times, here’s your chance to shine. If you are in the business of communication – and most people are these days, one way or another – then an upgrade of your digital infrastructure is in order.

In any case the new Moon of the 21^st brings a following wind to any enterprise involving education, whether as student or teacher, to group activities, and to anything that smacks of a spiritual search.

The most problematical transits in play concern your home base (or property or family), notably if you were born around 21-24 December, where a certain amount of disruption and uncertainty is to be expected, welcomed even. Birthday between 29 December-January 1^st face the even more unsettling prospect of Pluto, a signal that a deep transformation is under way. It isn’t likely to be an overnight thing, but it does hand you the chance of a complete self-reinvention, either in your chosen line of work or on a personal level.

Your Valentine: do-gooder!