Dear friends,

The beginning of February finds us in one of the more intense combinations of planetary influences we've had for a while, so there is a lot of transformational energy out there. Change is most difficult when we resist it - breathing deeply and relaxing into the flow helps us to ease into the transformative impulses that might otherwise feel like an intense pressure.

News from me:

February is a very busy month for me already! If you're in the Triangle area of North Carolina check out these events: On the 13th I'll be volunteering Tarot readings for the MardiGras fundraiser in Pittsboro. On the 16th I'll be teaching a class called "The Magic of Astrology" at Durham Academy at 7:30 pm. On the 18th I'll be giving a new lecture titled "Energy and Healing in the Birthchart" for the Network of Triangle Astrologers in Raleigh.

Then, on the weekend of the 27th and 28th of February, Rich and I will be at our usual booth at the Body, Mind, Spirit Expo at the Raleigh Fairgrounds where I'll be doing astrology and tarot readings all day, and we'll have beautiful rocks, crystals and gemstone jewelry for sale.

The schedule for the radio show along with instructions for how to listen live or download the archives later are on my site here, along with instructions for subscribing to the podcast. If you've been listening on Itunes, please consider rating and reviewing the show!

I've been posting daily planetary updates on my Facebook page and on Twitter, so come and join me there.

Now on to Skywatch:

The complete Skywatch article can be found on my website, and you can read it here. This email contains an abridged simplification that is easier to understand and read, but you will find the complete details, along with the list of planetary events for the month, in the online version.

Usual housekeeping stuff:

If you are new to astrology, you might want to start here for basic explanations of the concepts we'll be discussing here. Please feel free to forward this article to anyone who might be interested. If this article has been forwarded to you, please visit my website to sign up for your own subscription! You can unsubscribe any time by following the instructions at the bottom of this email. And, of course, if you would like to schedule a personal consultation please email me directly or visit my website for more information about readings.

Summary for February 2010:

February begins on the heels of a powerful Full Leo Moon on January 30 that is full of fire with a conjunction to Mars, making it nearly impossible to ignore the necessity to balance our ideals with the urgency of our own needs. This powerful lunar event occurred on the very day of the square from Saturn to Pluto that has been requiring a realignment and recalibration of what we consider to be our reality.

This is the second phase of the Saturn/Pluto aspect (the first one occurred back in November of last year). This combination is rather like the influence of a teacher who is gentle in his strong guidance, but who when crossed reveals a formidable temper. On a personal level this cycle can have the effect of forcing us to recognize what is real in our lives and what is illusion; on a global level it reveals all of the cracks and chinks in the structures upon which we rely for order and security.

To complicate matters a bit, we are also seeing Chiron and Neptune move ever so closer to their exact conjunction. The opening of the heart and the soul and the flood of outpouring of emotion of this planetary combination can inspire us to the height of spiritual ecstasy if we allow the energy of emotion to flow through our physical bodies. If this emotional energy is uncomfortable or painful we may want to resist or repress the flow and this can result in a weakening of the immune system.

Don't be surprised if you feel everything all at once under these two influences, and just let the energy of what you're feeling move freely.

We are under a strong Aquarian influence right now. Aquarius teaches that emotions are energy, and it's only the story that we attach to the emotions during the conjunction of Chiron and Neptune that create the emotional pain.

During the first week of February we are inspired to seek the ultimate truth so that we can let go of the past and anything which no longer serves us. On the 6th our mind is opened so that we can really process our experiences on an intellectual level and convert any emotional drama into divine understanding.

On the 7th and 8th Venus helps us to use this healing flow of emotional clearing in our relationships and our relationship to everything that we value.

Mercury enters Aquarius on February 10th, bringing new ideas and brilliant new discoveries. At the same time Venus enters Pisces, turning her attention from the realm of reason to the world of Spirit and flow. Our creativity is encouraged now by inventiveness of the mind and the inspiration of SPirit.

On the 12th when our mental process is stabilized and something practical is created. This stability is threatened a bit the following day with a stressful aspect to Mars and to the New Moon.

New Moons are times of new beginnings, when the solar principle of consciousness and ego development fuses with the lunar instinctive principle governing that which is more hidden. With the energy of this Aquarius New Moon it's time to integrate all of the lessons of emotional balance of the past year as we move forward in a completely new direction. This visionary Aquarian influence is all about getting un-stuck and using the power of the mind and reason to move us out of dead areas of our lives and into new beginnings.

This New Moon also includes a harmonious aspect that helps us to get real in all of our dealing with others, and another which helps us to create a solid plan in our life to help us to move forward. On the 15th a beneficial aspect showers good fortune along with the ability to recognize it.

The Sun enters Pisces on February 18, the sign of the Mystic. There is an increase of sensitivity now along with an awareness of the interconnectedness of all things. Suddenly boundaries and barriers are more permeable, and our experience of our world changes and becomes more magical and creative.

On the 23rd and for a few days afterwards there is a very pleasant sense of control over our Universe and an ability to make things happen, and on the 26th we become more conscious and aware of the ways in which we can empower our physical body as well. This softens the effect of a challenging aspect on the 27th which can activate our emotional memories but can also enhance our creativity.

Which brings us to the last day of the month, February 28th, and a Full Moon in Virgo. In a Full Moon the Moon and the Sun are opposite each other from our earthly perspective, and the Moon's light of instinctive emotions and the illumination of the inner world shines brightly, unrestricted by the call of the Sun for a more conscious experience of the world.

In Pisces the Sun is less Self-oriented and more transcendent, and a conjunction of the Sun to Jupiter seeks a broader experience of the world than a Self-centered orientation can provide and offers the possibility of great success and a powerful vision. With four planets in Pisces and three in Aquarius during this lunar event there is an intense idealistic quality. Aquarian idealism is intellectual, and Piscean idealism is emotional - combining the two offers up a banquet of visionary longing for a world that offers greater perfection than the one we actually live in.

The Virgo Moon resists this broadening of the scope of our experience and prefers to be grounded in the mundane details of life in physical form. It anchors us into a heart of practical reality where we are able to make the small changes that can ultimately result in the satisfaction of the larger Aquarius/Pisces vision. In any case, this lunation will impel us to seek more from our lives - to align with our center of Spirit and from there, create change in the material world in which we live.