Monthly Vedic Astrology Forecast

Full Moon in Cancer February 3
Mercury Resumes Direct Motion February 11
Mars Transits Pisces February 11 – March 23
Sun Transits Aquarius February 12 – March 14
Venus Transits Pisces February 15 - March 11
Maha Shivaratri February 16-17
New Moon in Aquarius February 18
Venus-Mars Conjunction February 21

Full Moon in Cancer February 3

Just after 4pm on Tuesday, February 3, the Moon and Sun come into their monthly opposition that we know as the "full Moon." The Moon will be at 21° Cancer, very close to exalted, retrograde Jupiter, while the Sun will be at 21° Capricorn, close, but not too close, to still retrograde Mercury.

This should be quite a lovely full Moon evening, with friendly Jupiter and Moon, soaring through the night sky, highlighting the qualities of growth and expansion in a nurturing environment. Jupiter and Moon will be occupying the nakshatra (lunar mansion) called Aslesha, ruled by Sarpa, the lord of the serpents. Aslesha's planetary ruler is energetic Mercury, so we may feel ourselves in the midst of feeling the electricity of transformation as these two bright planets join here.

With the Sun and Moon both sharing signs with retrograde planets, we may feel a distinct set of conditions as we bask in the glory of the Moon and Jupiter, casting light and inspiration. First, there may be a feeling of comfort within the confines of a situation that may be delayed or slow-moving. We may be able to perceive why things are moving at the pace they are, even when we may wish it were faster. Second, we may sense the importance of how family, friends and teachers really support us and how, for that to work, we need to step back on our self-importance or pushing our individual agendas.

After this day, the Moon begins to wane, joining Rahu in Virgo on February 7, then transiting Libra, which is hemmed between Rahu and Saturn currently, then onto a conjunction with Saturn in Scorpio and finally out the other side, where the Moon meets with Mercury and finally settles into the new Moon on February 18.

From February 7-13, we may contend with some chaos and pressure coming up in the mind. Rampant desires, confusion, negative self-talk and pressure from responsibility could arise as the Moon presses through some difficult positions during this time span. Make sure to give yourself some retreat space to deal with the moods that may surface.

Mercury Resumes Direct Motion February 11

Just after sunrise, from our perspective on Earth, Mercury will appear to stop and stand still for a short while as he resumes direct motion through the zodiac once again. Until March 3, Mercury will be retracing his previous backward motion through Capricorn and then moving into newer territory in the beginning of March.

So, we can keep things steady in Mercury retrograde mode for the first third of the month; no big moves, no big contracts, no big decisions. We maintain a strategy of careful movement, review of prior work and plans and the slow, steady communication and thought.

The remaining weeks of February would still be great for revision and review, given the fact that Mercury is walking over terrain he's crossed twice in the recent past and that retrograde Jupiter is in opposition to Mercury's position in Capricorn. Especially in the realm of material you may be studying, this is a great month for review, for really bringing the material into the mind through repetition.

Take it slow and bring your flash cards!

Mars Transits Pisces February 11 – March 23

Just before midnight on February 11, Mars moves into Jupiter's sign of Pisces, joining Ketu, the south node of the Moon. This transit of Mars through Pisces has an interesting implication.

Mars and Ketu are the co-rulers of the sign of Scorpio, so the conjunction of these two planets may activate that sign somewhat. Actually, all of the water signs may be activated by this transit of Mars. Mars and Ketu will be in Jupiter's sign, Jupiter is in the Moon's sign of Cancer and Jupiter from Cancer gives planetary influence to all of the water signs.

The water signs are the natural 4th, 8th and 12th signs of the zodiac. These houses in a chart are the "moksha" houses, concerned with contentment, transformation and liberation. The water signs are ruled by the planets Moon, Mars/Ketu and Jupiter.

Last meeting of Mars and Ketu was in April-May 2013, in Aries. We may remember the Boston Marathon bombings and the Savar Building collapse in Bangladesh.

Last time Mars was in Pisces was March 4-April 11, 2013, just before the prior meeting with Ketu: Pope Francis was appointed, thousands of gallons of oil spills in Mayflower, Arkansas, several other accidents and incidents involving petrol tankers occur and Argentina suffers from massive flooding.

Moving the Mars-Ketu conjunction into Pisces, we may expect some inflammatory incidents that involve either water or petrol or both. In that regard, we may want to keep an eye on the water and petrol that flows through our own life, being prepared for any unexpected movement of said substances.

On a more subtle level, we may be very much involved in our own transformative processes. Mars can be a powerful agent of change, giving us initiative and courage to make plans and moves that will push us forward while leaving the spent resources behind.

Sun Transits Aquarius February 12 – March 14

Late in the evening of February 12, Sun slides forward into Aquarius. While in Capricorn, Sun was getting the planetary aspect of both Juptier and Saturn. This could have made us exercise caution while also moving slowly on matters that required our full commitment.

In Aquarius, the Sun briefly joins Venus, who moves forward to Pisces on February 15. After this, the Sun is left alone to shine in sol-soul-solo mode in Aquarius, the air sign co-ruled by Saturn and Rahu. The Moon visits around the new Moon of February 18 and Mercury enters Aquarius during the last few days of Sun's transit there.

Aquarius is a sign that requires some understanding due to the nearly paradoxical co-rulership by Saturn and Rahu. This weirdness can carry into the planetary expression when planets pass through. Saturn likes to create and maintain boundaries and foundations. Rahu likes to dissolve borders and create diversity. Maybe we can think this month about how to harmoniously allow all of that at once, while managing to express our uniqueness without threatening others.

Venus Transits Pisces February 15 - March 11

Still following close on the heels of Mars, Venus moves into Pisces, her sign of exaltation, where the expression of Venus can unfold in its highest potential. Venus represents love, comfort, happiness, beauty, entertainment, art, relationship.

Venus in exaltation status can be supportive to all of these indications. There are other influences on Venus with this transit, namely the presence of Scorpio's rulers, Mars and Ketu. The intense and transformative energy of Mars and Ketu could be used to push through creative blocks, to let go of relationships that are stagnant or harmful or to investigate deeply what may be blocking your happiness.

When planets, like Mars and Venus in this example, get into alignment with the Rahu-Ketu axis, which is currently residing in the signs of Virgo and Pisces, the shadowy energy can sometimes promote sudden, unexpected events that may resonate as "meant to be" for good or ill.

Maha Shivaratri February 16-17

Maha Shivaratri is an annual celebration in honor of Lord Shiva; it is the marriage anniversary of Shiva and Parvati. It occurs starting on the night of the 13th day of the dark half of the Moon's cycle and continues through the 14th day of the dark half, in the month of Phalgun.

During this year's celebration, we have a meeting of the minds: Mercury and Moon in Capricorn, opposite Jupiter in Cancer. Mercury and the Moon are the planets that we associate with different aspects of the mind. Mercury expresses as the informational, data-oriented, calculating and analytical functioning of our mind. The Moon is associated with emotion, memory, sensitivity and moods.

Either planet, Moon or Mercury, has the tendency of fluctuation and movement. The Moon changes signs quickly, is in a different phase each day, and is the fastest moving "planet" that we watch move through the zodiac, followed by Mercury.

The Moon, known as Chandra, was known among the planets to be quite amorous and there are a few stories that outline this fact. Once, the Moon seduced Tara, the wife of Brihaspati (Jupiter); the two ran off together and had an affair, but when Jupiter got wind of this, approached the Moon and demanded that his wife be returned. Being friendly with Jupiter, the Moon brought Tara back home, heavy with child.

Tara insisted upon keeping the child, who when born was so charming that even Jupiter could not resist and accepted Mercury as his own child.

This planetary configuration is interesting in that Mercury gets to be with his "birth father" Moon but receives the blessing of his "adopted father" Jupiter by aspect. Perhaps the gift to us is to bring all parts of our mind into harmony and alignment such that we are prepared to receive the blessings of the great teacher, Lord Shiva.

In the evening of February 17, we begin the day called amavasya, the day before the new Moon. This is a good time for quiet reflection and withdrawal from intense activity.

New Moon in Aquarius February 18

Just before sunset on Wednesday, February 18, the Sun and Moon join once again for the new Moon moment at 6° Aquarius. As described in the section about the Sun's transit through Aquarius, this sign is relatively quiet this month, so this may point to the importance of finding our own foundation and stillness during the middle of this month.

This point in Aquarius falls in the nakshatra (lunar mansion) of Dhanistha, ruled by the planet Mars and by the Vasus, the gods of light. Dhanistha grants the power of creating abundance through collective resource management. If you have any intentions of such a creation, this is a good time to meditate on that. Taking action and planting seeds should wait until the Moon begins to wax on February 19.

Venus-Mars Conjunction February 21

We are in for a planet-gazing treat on the evening of February 21. Venus and Mars will meet at 8º Pisces in an exact conjunction that will be followed by Venus surpassing Mars in the zodiac and beginning to pull ahead of him with her natural faster speed. In addition, the waxing Moon will join Venus in Mars, offering us a spectacular visual treat if we are able to see clearly to the west after sunset.

Even though this will be a visual spectacle, there is a concept in jyotisha (Vedic astrology) of planetary war. This occurs only between the non-luminary, non-shadow, visible planets: Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. When two planets are occupying the same degree of the zodiac, they are said to be at war (graha yuddha.) Planetary war is a controversial concept in jyotisha, with varying scriptural references that seem to conflict. Without going into that level of depth, let's focus on the fact that for a few days, Venus and Mars will be sharing the same space in the zodiac.

Venus is exalted in Pisces and Mars is in a friendly sign in Pisces, so both of the planets are positioned well, but this type of proximity can muddle the energies of the planets. We may see some excitement or conflict between Venus-Mars entities during this period of time. Mars and Ketu together can be inflammatory and adding the energy of Venus to the mix could push things passionately forward.

This is where faster-moving Venus overtakes Mars, pulling ahead through the zodiac and putting a nice amount of space between the two planets eventually. By the middle of March, Venus will be 10° ahead of Mars, a comfortable amount of space to allow both planets to express themselves without conflicting.