Planetary news: Time speeds up with no retrogrades, and Leo Full Moon

Astrological update for January 27-February 13

I will be traveling so I condensed the first two weeks into one report and will catch up when I return. Much of this is repeated from the upcoming February Planetary Illuminations (sign up at the bottom of this email!).

NO PLANETS IN RETROGRADE MOTION. It is fairly rare for there to be no planets which appear to be retrograde from our perspective on Earth but that is the situation we find right now. Mercury will turn retrograde on April 21st but until then, all personal and outer planets are in direct motion. (Ceres will be retrograde from February 3 until May, but because Ceres tends to operate very personally anyway so its retrograde influence is not very different from its influence when direct.)

When there are no retrograde planets time tends to speed up; without the pull of the retrograde planets to review and re-discover, we tend to find our lives passing without much reflection. We can adjust our own intention to incorporate this reflection into our daily lives though, through ritual and routines which support our inner experience as well as our outer one.

LEO FULL MOON FEBRUARY 5 INSPIRES A DANCE TO A DIFFERENT TUNE. The Full Moon is the peak of the lunar cycle – it’s a time when our goals and aspirations reach fulfillment as we prepare for the waning cycle during which we are generally asked to let go of something that no longer works in our ever-changing lives.

art by Francene Hart

The Leo Full Moon is all about learning to become the very best “I” we can be. Leo instills a sense of healthy ego identification and joy – there is greater generosity and expansion of the heart. The Full Moon is a culmination of the cycle, and bringing something into form is an important piece of the intention here. Yet the Leo Moon is opposite the Aquarius Sun, necessitating a balance between our identification with the personal (Leo) and our lives as part of a collective (Aquarius).

The Leo Full Moon asks that we delve deep within to find the source of that which makes us special, unique, and ready to open our hearts so that we can better serve the collective on all levels, from the very personal to the global community. The Self is very present now, giving us an opportunity to allow ourselves to shine as we discovery the true Self that lies underneath the false illusions, fears and doubts. This impetus to find our own unique gifts is amplified by a strong square aspect from Uranus, the planet that demands authenticity and the shattering of old patterns which hold us back. This is a time when we can really shine as our true selves, and leave self-doubt behind.

CERES OPPOSITE JUPITER. The dance between Ceres and Jupiter began in December, and this month (February 5) is the second phase in a cycle which will end in October. I think of Ceres as the place in our chart that connects us to our natural selves through nourishment of the body, mind and soul. In Libra, Ceres tends to evoke a sense of soul integration with the world through immersion in beautiful surroundings and harmonious connections with others, and the opposition to Jupiter may exaggerate the need that we have to find an internal integration through connecting with others. This opposition is on the Libra (Ceres)/Aries (Jupiter) polarity which requires a resolution of tension between our own needs (Aries) and the need to compromise for the sake of relationships (Libra). This dynamic is embedded in the chart of the New Moon which amplifies the focus on self-awareness and care of the soul.

In the first phase of this Ceres/Jupiter cycle both planets were at the last degree of the previous sign (Ceres in Virgo/ Jupiter in Pisces), so this exaggerated need for nourishment of the Self has gone through two zodiac polarities. The final opposition in October will take place in a third zodiac cycle, with Ceres moving into Scorpio opposing Jupiter in Taurus. I love the symbolism here, because our ability to care for ourselves is multi-faceted and this successive evolution through the zodiac helps to imprint new patterns and ability to create inner harmony.

Mercury enters Aquarius. On February 11 Mercury will leave Saturn-ruled Capricorn for Saturn-ruled Aquarius, the planet of the mind in the sign of awakening, logic and reason to bring new messages of awakening from the future. Aquarius has a modern ruler (Uranus) as well as a traditional one (Saturn). We can see the Saturn rulership of Aquarius in the rationality and clear thinking of that sign, and the Uranus rulership is visible in the acceptance of radical new paradigms for which Aquarius is known..Mercury usually stays in a sign for just a few weeks, but because of its retrograde cycle it spent about two months in Capricorn, helping to inspire mental focus and discipline.

The transition into Aquarius helps to continue the awakening process of last month’s Aquarius New Moon, and helps to facilitate the opening of our perspective which will facilitate the changes coming when Pluto enters Aquarius in March.

I hope you have a bright and magical couple of weeks with these abundant planetary energies! 💖

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