February 1. It’s the day after a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Leo (and Super and Blood and Blue Moon). This activated my chart, and accidentally, I was able to watch part of it yesterday morning while journaling and sipping coffee. It was a creative week with some romance included. How was your last week of January?
This month’s New Moon on the 15th is a Partial Solar Eclipse in revolutionary 27° Aquarius and in the polar opposite position as the phenomenal Leo Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017. Venus in Pisces and Mars in Sagittarius are heading toward a first quarter square (February 25). That’s what jumped out at me, maybe because of the closeness of the eclipse to Valentine’s Day and what that might mean for the rest of the month.
Each Solar Eclipse emphasizes the Lunar Nodes. This time attention is on the Aquarius South Node, the symbol representing what has been explored previously and ready to be nurtured into a new expression. For example, this could be group energy, experienced as clannish, mentally fragmented or un-objective, being distorted into not honoring personal expression.

We’re in Eclipse Season and for many it’s also Relationship Season with Valentine’s Day a huge focus for many countries and especially the West.
If we reflect on Venus/Mars, then what high hopes in relationship are being charged with intuitive, meaningful action? Does truth meet our ideals? What would an observer think looking objectively? You, each of us, with practice, can be an observer allowing us to be unattached in our assessment of a situation or relation.
Step back. Watch our actions. Watch our minds. Are valuable and essential needs being sacrificed — either ours or someone else’s due to group expectations? Is compassion a code word for avoiding meeting personal needs or exploring our own unique talents?
Is it time to separate from or re-evaluate, in this first quarter square, male/female/gender expectation, and turn the tables to explore new ways to be true to love, act on personal gifts and talent, find joy in each moment of presence in life?
I read a sign recently which said something like “someone who has less than you is happy with what they have.” A lovely reminder that perspective changes our outlook. Let’s discard beliefs not serving our current state of affairs and re-value what we have been gifted with. In this way we can serve the group and allow for many expressions of… well, I’ll bring it back to Love (Leo), cuz that’s what I think (Aquarius) it all boils down to. Of course, the expression of your gift (Leo), is unique (Aquarius) to you.
A ceremony for this lunar eclipse might be to use symbols of the zodiac signs. Aquarius is an Air Sign. Leo is a Fire sign. Blow old inaccurate thinking into the wind. One might use a yogic breathing technique like the Lion’s Breath to incorporate both the Aquarius South Node and the Lion, a symbol of the Leo North Node.

Aquarius. Nodes intertwined. Leo.
Evolving patterns.
To wrap this Eclipse exploration up, Uranus in Aries and Jupiter in Scorpio are sitting close to an inconjunct this month (though not exact until November.) That means the two future-oriented planets are also energizing the New Moon/Lunar Eclipse. The aspect immediately conjures up the idea of an adjustment or radical change of thinking in the financial arena as does Uranus’ ingress into Taurus in April. Uranus rules the Eclipse.
I’m not an expert in financial astrology, so this is a first blush ‘hit’ when you bring those two planets into play. Extremes. Surprises. Exaggeration. And, money, Scorpio. Wakeup calls about money leads to change of perspective and changes in relationship dynamics?
If you are interested in financial astrology, take a look at the Merriman Market Analyst. Raymond Merriman publishes a superb yearly forecast.
New explorations. While purusing the latest issue of the Mountain Astrologer I came across an article, Introduction to Minor Progressions, written by Greg Bogart and Tem Tarriktar. Progressions are an alternate calculation to the planet’s movement unique to your own birth chart. They are used for prediction purposes and further insight into what transits might be revealing in our lives.
Secondary progressions and Solar Arcs are most common and are rooted in the cycle of the Sun. It turns out there is another kind of progression called minor progression determined from the cycle of the Moon.
It was a bit eerie the day I read the article, and looked up the minor progression for when I, at age 10, “knew” my grandfather would die, followed a few days after by his actual death. This was an event profoundly affecting my life for many years. MP Saturn was exactly at the same spot as current Saturn in the sky in my 9th house. I was living in a foreign country at that time, and actually I am now, too, come to think of it, from a birth perspective. Why, I wonder, was Opa on my mind that day?
Wishing you a February of renewed awareness of your lovability and ability to love. Peace, Shawn
This month there is a Book of the Month with two alternatives. The choices were prompted by the developing Venus/Mars square and Valentine’s Day.
Jeffrey Green wrote a follow up to his famous Pluto book. It was about relationships and describes the function of Venus and Mars and our essential needs in relationship, the 8 phases between the two planets, and the Soul’s evolution through relationships with emphasis on Pluto and its Polarity point.
February’s Book of the Month is Pluto Volume II, Soul’s Evolution through Relationships by Jeffrey Wolf Green.

Pluto Volume II. The Soul’s Evolution Through Relationships
Jeffrey Wolf Green
Buy at Amazon
The alternatives or additional choices for “Relationship Month”:

Skymates. Love, Sex and Astrology
Steven Forrest & Jodie Forrest
Buy at Amazon

Astrology for Lovers
Liz Green
Buy at Amazon
February
10. Venus enters Pisces.
15. New Moon and Solar Eclipse in Aquarius.
17. Mercury enters Pisces.
18. Sun enters Pisces.
21. Venus and Neptune conjoin in Pisces.
28. Mercury in Pisces square Mars in Sagittarius (1/3).
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