Astrologically Speaking

February 2002 edition ...

In February many await the arrival of St. Valentine's Day. The red hearts, the pink frilly lingerie and the countless boxes of chocolate and the never-ending rows of mainly red cards are out shortly after the red-coloured Christmas. I have often wondered why, astrologically speaking, pick a day when the Sun is in Aquarius, which is the sign for friends, comrades and acquaintances, to celebrate ROMANCE. Aquarius is not a sign we associate with love and romance, to an Aquarius "love is only chatter, friends are all that matter". Incidentally in modern times there are countries which call this the friendship day (oh, yes started by florists and stationers). The Catholic Church has taken this day off their list, as it has become too commercial.

Prior to the church declaring St. Valentine's after posthumously granting sainthood to one Valentine, there was a pagan holiday marking the 14th of February. The shift incidentally took place in the 5th century (do not quote me on that). At the Winter Solstice which now co-insides with Christmas the pagans celebrated the return of light, February used to mark early spring in Rome. In Ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honor Juno (Februata), Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses.

Juno, astrologically speaking, is an asteroid goddess, who has domain over the wife, marriages and relationships in general. Juno does not define these as male and female, but as partnerships made of choice. This wasn't the case back in the first few centuries of the last millenium. The Feast of Lupercalia started after Juno's day. For eight hundred years prior to the establishment of Valentine's Day, the Romans had practiced a pagan celebration in mid-February commemorating young men's rite of passage to the god Lupercus. The celebration featured a lottery in which young men would draw the names of teenage girls from a box. The girl assigned to each young man in that manner would be his sexual companion during the remaining year. Lupercus was a god the Romans worshipped for his ability to keep the wolves away from Rome.

This February (2002), Juno is in the sign of Leo getting ready to turn direct in March and move into Virgo in June. Leo is the sign of romance, the sign of wooing, shame we don't have the leap day this year, when traditionally women are allowed to propose. Even with the changing times, it is still traditionally the role of the man to propose marriage.

The Kepler program I use for astrological calculations has an astrological encyclopaedia, which has this to say about Juno: "In Roman mythology Juno was the wife of Jupiter. In Greek mythology her name was Hera. She is portrayed very similarly in the Roman and Greek versions of the legends. Hera was a jealous wife, and Zeus was frequently involved in romantic adventures, so consequently their marriage was a very stormy one. Hera sometimes would inflict revenge on Zeus's mistresses. Although the myth is ancient and the asteroid was discovered and named in the early 1800's, it does appear that its name is appropriate from an astrological perspective. Most astrologers who use asteroids believe that Juno inclines one to bond very intensely and is very marriage-oriented. Jealousy and possessiveness are common manifestations of Juno's astrological influence."

Leo is a very possessive sign, it likes to own its partner and a partner worthy of trust is worthy of the lavish attention Leo has to offer. This Valentine's day we have both the Moon and Venus in the dreamy, romantic Pisces which looks better than the Sun in analytical Aquarius, which is conjunct Uranus on this day - watch your words, don't let your tongue cost you a few romantic moments. Mars the male partnering energy is in Aries promising more of a rush and adding its touch of testosterone to the day. Time to go with the flow, not a day to insist on your way.

By Valentine's Day Mercury, the trickster that caused all those miscommunications starting mid-January is moving direct again - hip hip hooray. I was getting tired of people saying it rather than just thinking it. Aquarius is honest, blunt to the point kind of energy that tells you their truth whether you like it or not.

February is the shortest month, Augustus wanted his month to be as long as Julius Caesar's, and took a few days from February to add to his month. On one hand it isn't over quick enough, on the other it could be longer, so we could analyze financial questions a little longer as it happens at the beginning of our wonderful tax season. It is the time to decide about RRSP's and retirement. Most of us are still paying off Christmas. On a positive note the interest rates remain low despite the small shifts where the main rates go down but those that affect the consumers are creeping up. I think the astrological weather will bring us, ordinary folk, lower rates before all is said and done - I call that August. In the mean time we need to make long-term decisions, set goals for the next 5 or 10 years. I will personally pick the Saturnine route, slow and safe, but I think that the planetary weather really does favour the risk takers. If I was one, I think I would venture to look at both food, travel and communications stocks of the kind with a strong futuristic (maybe even almost sci-fi) bent.

The month kicks off with most of the inner planets playing tag with Uranus and Neptune who have been in the sign of Aquarius for a while. Mars is in his own sign; Aries just to add insult to injury. Aquarius is about solidarity, about the collective and what the people think is fair and just. In British Columbia, Canada, we are dealing with the unrest of the public service sector. Teachers, government workers and healthcare workers are all upset at what dictums are coming down the pike from the government. The one we elected to office last spring when Venus was retrograde in the sign of Aries (technically it was just a few brief days later after Mars had moved retrograde and Venus was moving direct again in Aries). Mars is covering that Aries territory now in collusion with all of these Aquarius energies. Back then we had the nurses' strike and the transit strike.

The ground gained back then is fast eroding as job safety is being removed from contracts. Unions are Neptune and 12th house, but now Neptune is in the rebellious sign of Aquarius. Is he (as a representative of the labour unions) fighting a loosing battle? Saturn in Gemini has his agenda - to change the face of education, health care, transportation and public service - all mercurial things - by implementing new laws. Saturn doesn't seem to care whether we, astrologically speaking, allocate these issues to two Mercury ruled signs Gemini and Virgo. Pluto in Sagittarius wants to tear down structures and has another rendezvous with Saturn in May. The motion of the inner planets is more transitory and fleeting. The Sun, Venus, and Mercury in Aquarius phase only lasts about 4 weeks maximum. Mars is in Aries a little longer, six weeks total through March 2. Venus will follow in his tracks March 9, 2002 through April 2, 2002. So we can expect this The Chart I use for British Columbia is Transiting Neptune is opposing the natal Sun-Mars; transiting Uranus is opposing the natal Mercury retrograde at 26°Leo in the 1st from the 7th. That Mercury rules the 2nd house and the 11th. In the 2nd we have our liquid assets, and in the 11th we have our MLA's, the goals of our government, and the legislature. Uprisings, overthrowing, disruptions and social unrest are the domain of Uranus who is the ruler of the 11th house.

Our education system, 3rd house, is July 31, 1827 5 AM LMT, Fort Langley, BC, Canada. It gives a Leo rising chart with a Moon in Scorpio conjunct the North Node in the 4th and Sun and Mars in Leo in the 12th. According to the handwritten logs of the Hudson Bay Co. at the Fort in Fort Langley this is when the first boats came ashore. ruled by Venus and Jupiter is natally in this house in Libra, Venus is in Cancer in the third house - I expect this school issue to end relatively well and peacefully late spring or early summer. But some of the restrictions, changes and limitations will stick we are a province with a Venus/Saturn conjunction and we are used to the fact that we cannot afford it all. Venus/Saturn is nothing if it is not reasonable and willing to compromise.

Public servants are Saturn ruled, and the story is far from over, because this one too will end in a compromise and might be re-fought in 2004. When transiting Saturn is well ensconced in Cancer and we have the Saturn return for the province. Natally Uranus is in the 6th house of public servants also health-care, he is wearing the conservative garb of Capricorn, but alas, he is still Uranus. Uranus here in the natal chart does indicate that this is an area frequently revamped in BC. I have only lived here for 12 years but have witnessed several sweeping changes on both fronts, and although these may sound like the most drastic to date, these will be issues on the agenda every 3-4 years.

How many Capricorn premiers have we elected thus far? That Uranus in Capricorn in our chart - aaahhhh! An Aries wouldn't be much better - what with our Pluto in Aries? If Pluto was given rulership of a house, it would co-ruler the fourth - our security. What about a Virgo? Maybe next election time we need to have their charts!

In October-November we have the Venus retrograde (See 2002 write up for details on Venus retrograde) phase hovering over our Natal Venus and North Node in the 4th. It will be interesting to see what happens with the real estate and/or land claims. What happens with the provincial government and its leaders? It will be a re-evaluation time but what will we value by then?

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Astrologically Speaking

February 2002 edition ...

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