By Len Wallick
Today, Ground Hog Day, Mercury in Capricorn moves out of the echo phase (also called the shadow phase), passing the degree where it went retrograde at the beginning of 2010. Also today the Sun in Aquarius forms a sextile (60 degrees of separation) with the Great Attractor in Sagittarius. Finally, the Moon moves into Libra where it will conjoin Saturn and form a square (90 degrees of separation) with Pluto. All of these aspects continue the cross-quarter themes covered yesterday.
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But first, let’s pause to review the big picture.
The Saturn-Pluto square is the big background, challenging us to have the courage to engage with the vast changes taking place in the world. Even longer term is the functionally ongoing opposition of Saturn and Uranus, which will form up again when Saturn’s current retrograde takes it back into Virgo in the Spring. Retrograde Mars continues after its peak Full Moon experience this last weekend. It will continue backing up, encouraging us to figure out what we really want, until it reaches the first degree of Leo on March 10th or 11th depending on your ephemeris.
On February 17th Chiron and Neptune perfect their conjunction although it has been functioning for a while to help us to see clearly and embrace what we see. On Valentine’s Day the Aquarius New Moon will usher in Asian New Year (the year of the tiger) and take place within a degree of the barely separated Chiron-Neptune conjunction. In other words it will be a double-date, quad conjunction – purrrr, pass the chocolate and keep the lights on. At the end of this week (or the beginning of next, again, depending) Jupiter will sextile Pluto and Venus will conjoin Neptune and Chiron to warm up the bed for the New Moon.