February: Surrender Dorothy!

No, it is not October or near Halloween, nor the in-between seasons of fall and spring.  But we are finding tornadoes and twisters blowing in the southern United States, most likely due to global warming.  Seeing that news, I was reminded of The Wizard of Oz, where the Wicked Witch wrote "Surrender Dorothy" across the sky with her broom.  From an early age, many of us come to believe the definition of the military act of surrender; that surrender is a dirty word.

In fact, one definition of surrender is to "give way to emotion."  It is in this vein that February speaks to us.  When we will allow for decreasing resistence to everything and everyone, we find ourselves uniquely inspired this month.  Having our way for its own sake, seeing things from only our insistent perspective will not feel so vitally important in the next few weeks.  How refreshing!

Our firm will and resolve around matters we formerly dug our heels in and refused to budge begins to soften around the edges.  We still may not agree with our opponents, but we might just be able to see their point of view.  How it could feel to stand in their shoes for a while.  Don't get me wrong here:  we aren't exactly going to be holding hands and singing Kumbayah.  But walls of resistance and obstinacy are slowly being chipped away, allowing holes of light to peek through.  And with increasing light comes clarity and understanding.

First, February kicks off with Abundant Jupiter turning direct motion in communicative Geminii just days earlier.  Jupiter is the planet of guess what?  Higher learning.  Its keyword is  I understand.  Combined with its forward motion, Jupiter makes a greatly helpful angle to change-agent Uranus for the entire month.  We can hardly ask for anything more to jump-start projects, ventures, relationships, anything you set your sights on...but wait, there is more!   During very rare stretch of days, all of the planets will be in direct motion.   Yes, you read correctly.  From January 31 to Monday, February 18, every single planet in our Milky Way galaxy is direct.  Now is the Time, folks!   Plant those seeds and watch them grow.

Meanwhile, Jupiter continues its challenging angle to watery Neptune.  Delusions and illusions are associated with this pair; so you can be completely fooled by something or someone.  Or, find time to be fully informed.  It is worth it to invest time and energy to see what is at stake.  Pristine insight can be the result.  Jupiter-Neptune can incite tests of faith in ourselves to blindly leap into the unknown.  Take risks we might never otherwise would.  Remember, no risk, no reward.  This aspect is about gambling BIG.

Here's where surrender comes into play.  A few days into February, a line up of planets in watery Pisces begins.  Activator Mars joins spiritual Neptune, followed by messenger Mercury and toward month's end, by Venus and the Sun.  All that water is deeply cleansing, acts as a clarifier and dissolver.  Feel your resistance melting away?  Let's start with the first two planets and build from there.  Fiery Mars is not especially comfortable in a water sign like Pisces, nor partnering with its ruler, Neptune.  This pairing can go in a few directions.  First the upside:  incredible inspiration, insights and accomplishments in art, music, literature and poetry, any humanitarian endeavor, spiritual awakenings and activities.  Since Pisces represents the highest and lowest of humanity, the veritable heaven and hell, its down side leads to more mundane, plain yucky stuff:  water leaks, burst pipes, accidents involving ice, snow and rain, major winter storms, and yes, tears might flow...

This pair will be joined by messenger Mercury at mid-month and all three make a beautiful angle to heavy lifter Saturn.  Can you say breakthrough?  Reminds me of the song lyric:  I can see clearly now the rain is gone...  One word of caution with this troika:  think carefully about any message you want to deliver.  Say exactly what you mean and mean what you say.  Make sure your audience, be it one or one thousand, is left without a doubt as to your intent.  With Neptune figuring in this group, clarity can give way to cloudy interpretation; fortunately, Saturn mitigates this effect.  Also, be wary of gimmicks or slick sales maneuvers.

This is exacerbated by planet of love and money Venus challenging Saturn during the second week of February.  When you go to the store for a few necessities, be careful not to bring home everything but the kitchen sink.  How many of us go to replace our beloved lipstick and end up buying the entire line of makeup?  Same goes for guys at the hardware store:  Ask yourself, do you really need the whole toolbox when you just came in to buy a single hammer?  Venus and Saturn struggles deal with deep-seeded relationships:  to money, ourselves, to another, or to groups.  Much like going to the store, ask, what do I really want and need from my: self, partner, work, colleagues, friends...?

Driving the point home (and ward off Slick Suzy Sales Clerk) is the alignment of Venus, planet of love and money, with Jupiter and Uranus, occuring precisely in time for Valentines Day.  Ladies and Gentlemen:  start your engines!  Wow.  Expect communication to take off.  (Yet another reason to clearly define your message).  Venus is at a critical degree of Aquarius on the 14th.  Expect good news.  And with Uranus tied into the mix, surprises abound.

From February 20th to the end of the month, five planets join together in Pisces:  the Sun, Mercury, Neptune, Mars and Venus.  You may find yourself surrendering (NOT giving in) to love, gentle forces infinitely larger than we are.  Let go.  Do not be afraid.  The Sufis have a saying, "The heart keeps breaking until it remains open."  Allow those cracks in the walls we've built around ourselves to chip away into holes and fill us with Light. 

If you recall, Dorothy did not surrender to the Wicked Witch.  Instead, she allowed for something much more precious:  to remember that she, her home, contained all the answers she sought.  Spirituality doesn't necessarily involve meditating for an hour or going to a house of worship (although that can greatly help!).  Walking in the woods, playing or working with animals, any creative activity from cooking and knitting to painting and writing, are all spiritual acts.  And yes, physical activity too is spiritual as it means caring for your self, body and soul. 

With messenger Mercury turning retrograde on Saturday, February 23rd for the next three weeks, the end of the month is an excellent time for reflection.  2013 started off like gangbusters.  So it is OK to stop, take a breath, absorb all that has happened and is about to happen. Sort through all the questions, your history.  In the rush of daily living, we forget all we are and all we have done.  Remember now.

Saturn and the Sun align nicely during the final week of the month while Mercury makes a very helpful angle to the Moon's North Node.  These will point you toward your personal True North and incite you to new thresholds.  Leave behind the road most traveled, false paths, and surrender to your true path regardless of what others think.  With five planets in humanitarian Pisces, selfishness dissolves.  We see ourselves and our fellow man in a better light and discover a willingness to work together.  In these times, than can only be a very good thing!