February 2020: Welcome Winter Sun
Happy Imbolc, Witches! It’s mid-Winter so light a candle because the Sun is gaining strength and we survived the eclipses and Saturn-Pluto conjunction. Hurray for us. The pagan holiday of Imbolc is a cross-quarter day when we celebrate the peak of the season. In Winter that’s February 1, or when the Sun is at 15 Aquarius; this is a time of deep stillness and peace. We’re 6 weeks away from the Spring Equinox, and the change into an active solar period, but a month-and-a-half can feel long during the coldest time of the year. Imbolc offers the opportunity to reflect on what’s been sustaining us since late December, and what we need, individually and collectively, to make it to Spring.
Winter is a hermit habitat. Although the Hermit tarot card, IX of the Major Arcana, is commonly associated with the sign of Virgo, it has deep correspondences with Capricorn and a strong resonance with Imbolc. Winter is usually a period of hermitage, whether we like it or not. The external world slows down, and the darkness draws us inward--to our homes, beds, and personal truths. In the Thoth tarot deck, the Hermit is a solitary figure who walks with a bent head, signifying contemplation and a withdrawal from worldly pursuits. His mind is focused on spiritual matters and on finding his way through the dark. Similar to most of us in this post-eclipse regroup space.
We’re traveling in unknown territory, much has ended, but the new has not yet arrived. This is a solo journey, no one can take it for us, and no one will know exactly how it feels to walk our path, but we’re not alone. We have allies (three-headed dog), guides (Orphic egg and glowing sperm), and our lamp. The lamp represents the fire of spirit and our connection to Divinity, which grows stronger with each passing day just as light increases in the sky.
Imbolc, also called Candlemas, is associated with the Celtic Goddess Brighid. Symbolized as both a water bearer, the Aquarius archetype, who brings insight and healing, and lady of the forge who burns away impurities, spurs us towards the new, and ignites our passion, Brighid is the perfect guide for mid-Winter. A traditional practice on Imbolc is to light a candle in every window of your home to brighten the way for travelers on the outside. This festival of little lights celebrates the growth of intentions seeded at the Winter Solstice, which will blossom at the Spring Equinox on March 19. Here’s a fun 5 card tarot spread to aid in contemplation:
HERMITS LAMP IMBOLC SPREAD
PATH: What journey did you begin at the Winter Solstice / 2020 new year (intentions set/resolutions begun)?
HERMIT: Where have you been drawn inward this season? What are you exploring in this time of stillness?
DARKNESS: What unknowns are you confronting/what does the darkness contain? When we rest we allow time for the receptive parts of our psyche and body to speak. The subtle voice may speak softly but there is great power in its message.
LAMP: What insights have you gained into your shadow/unconscious patterns? Have you had any a-ha moments or breakthroughs?
SUN: What do you need to bolster your spirit through the final half of Winter? How can you best take care of yourself over the next 6 weeks? What qualities or practices can you commit to that will guide you clearly to the dawn.
We can get so focused on progress and development (thanks, Capitalism), that we wish to skip over the difficult parts of the process, but that’s often where the juicy bits are, the richest learning. May the festival of Imbolc and the fire of Brighid, the Exalted One, illuminate how far you’ve come. Invite her to shine her rays upon you and help you prepare for the wheel turning again. Spring is almost here.
Welcome to February, friends. If 2020 began with a burst or a bust, never fear, the second month of the year is going to be more chill. It’s Aquarius Season and that means we’re thinking outside the box, surveying the rubble of the Capricorn chaos, and planning improvements for moving forward in an awesome trajectory.
We begin the month with our third eye open thanks to Mercury joining Venus in Pisces on February 3. We’ve all been feeling sensitive and wistful since Venus glided into the watery sign of her exaltation on January 13. Mercury there will amplify your intuition and emotional awareness, but the sweetness is fleeting because Venus moves into Aries on February 7. Opposite from her home sign of Libra, this firey placement will have you feeling feisty, fun, and perhaps a bit pugnacious. Venus in Aries knows how she wants to be loved, and can spur you to action. If your relationships go from feeling dreamy to steamy (sometimes uncomfortably so) don’t take it personally. Venus will square Pluto, and then Saturn, towards the end of the month before departing for Taurus on March 4. You’ll get lots of insight into what’s important to you. Ask for what you need because emotional satisfaction is your birthright, but be sure you’re willing to give it to yourself first before you expect others to deliver.
The Leo Full Moon on February 9, lights up your sense of self and life purpose by highlighting the dynamic tension between Leo (Me) and Aquarius (We). We’re all small vital parts of a larger whole, and we all came here to contribute something to the grand mosaic. But if we get too focused on me and what I want to do, we end up serving the ego and forget that our talents are gifts are meant to be in service to something higher. The best, bravest Leos have a cause. Similarly, when we ignore our own needs, which can be an unconscious default for Aquarius, we neglect the divine duty of good stewardship of our bodies and souls. The Sun is the ruler of Leo who struggles in the sign of Aquarius. It can be hard for those with strong Aquarius placements to center their desires, but that’s an important part of finding balance. The most creative Aquarius continually investigate themselves, and are lead into new portals of understanding about how to improve the world. Let this brave and bold Moon help you to shine brightly while keeping the focus on the bigger picture. There’s a grand fire trine between Mars in Sagittarius, Ceres in Aries, and the Moon in Leo amplifying the importance of healthy nourishment, physical exercise, and personal boundaries. The sextile between the Sun and Mars is supporting your personal development in whatever direction you feel most inspired.
Review is a big theme of 2020. We’ll have both a Venus and Mars retrograde, in addition to the three usual Mercury retrogrades. The universe has carved out significant chunks of time in each season for thinking about not just the how but the why of the way we love, live, and think. Venus is how we do relationships, and communication is central to connection with Geminis. Expect to process about how you process when Venus retrogrades in Gemini from May 12 through June 24. The warrior Mars sets the tempo of our lives. We’ll all feel his beat strongly during the second half of the year when Mars spends 6 months in Aries, from June 27, 2020, to January 6, 2021. That is a loooong time to have the big boss at home. This prolonged period of strength and stamina is going to greatly empower our ability to accomplish our goals and start new projects, especially for Aries and Scorpios, but there will also be an internal audit of priorities when Mars goes retrograde from September 9 to November 13.
Similar to last year, Mercury will retrograde in all the water signs in 2020, taking another thorough inventory of our emotional intelligence every three months. It all begins when Mercury stations retrograde on February 16 at 12 Pisces, in close proximity to Neptune, the same day that Mars enters Capricorn. The Sun follows into Pisces on February 18, and we descend into some of the most powerful and shadowy areas of the psyche. Pisces represents the primordial womb we gestated in before jumping back down the shoot. When the psychopomp of the zodiac dives deep into this area, it’s sure to turn up subconscious material for review. The Sun is shining a light into the darkness, but you may not be able to comprehend what’s revealed thanks to Neptune’s confusing influence. Think back to the last Mercury retrograde in Pisces from March 5-28, 2019, for clues or continuation of themes in this area of life.
All retrograde precautions are in full effect from February to mid-March: don’t buy electronics or travel tickets; be careful with communication, especially email and texting; avoid signing contracts, and if you must, look for hidden clauses; expect delays or unforeseen complications when journeying; and, as always, watch for the trickster. Mercury loves a good joke, so he may send a blowfish disguised as a shark your way--there’s nothing to fear but fear itself! The mundane annoyances of retrogrades remind us not to take life or ourselves too seriously. Mind the gold that floats to the surface when Mercury goes snorkeling through the coral reef of your karma till March 9.
The heat of Mars loves to ignite and we’ve been crackling and popping since Mars entered Sagittarius on January 3. Over the past month he’s squared Neptune and Venus in Pisces, creating friction between how we want to feel and how things actually are in reality. Our priorities start to change when Mars enters Capricorn on February 16, and we become focused on work. This isn’t a year to get wild with new plans, but with Jupiter in Capricorn, you’ll be able to expand in the areas you’ve already been cultivating professionally. Saturn is going to dip in Aquarius on March 21, giving a break to Cap, and blowing some winds of change through the Spring. Mars in this rough terrain could make a challenging situation more difficult, or it could give some needed gas to help your projects take off. The key to success is to notice which way the wind is blowing and align your sails with the powerful gusts Jove blows through.
Whatever clues you get during the first week of Pisces Season can be used to set your intentions when Venus squares Jupiter at the Pisces New Moon on February 23. With Neptune’s altering influence on this Moon, you may feel inspired to creatively represent what is pouring forth through visual art, poetry, or interpretative dance. If Pisces is the place where we meet God, you have the opportunity to do some transformative spiritual work, but it may require that you get in touch with the places that scare you most. Guarded by the dragons of your subconscious fears, is where you’ll find the riches of your buried treasure.
You’ll get information on anything you may to let go of when Mercury goes cazimi in the heart of the Sun while Mars is conjunct the lunar South Node/Ketu on February 25. There could be a flooding of information at this time, but also a sense of something taken from you, rather than willingly surrendered. It is impossible to know the reasons things happen in karmic situations, and, truly, the why isn’t that important when the event is fated. Trust Mars is severing you from the past in ways that liberate. What you’re growing towards will become clear when Mercury trines the lunar North Node/Rahu on February 28.
The month ends with a banging square between Venus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn on February 28. This power couple came together on December 13, 2019, to hatch plans about building dynasties and how to create a love that lasts. You may have uncovered some hidden psychological drives compelling your romantic or dating behaviors at that time. This square is asking what more you intend to do about it. Consider this cosmic check-in an invitation to liberate yourself from compulsive tendencies or unconscious patterns.
February is lighting a lamp to get you through the long winter. Follow Brighid ion the path spirit and you’ll stay inspired as we wind our way out of the Winter, towards the rebirth of the Goddess.