The month of January felt like an entire year in itself. Having started the year with some of the rarest cosmic alignments, it’s clear that 2020 will be a deeply transformative year.
Read up on February’s cosmic occurrences below!
Key Dates in February:
- The 9th of February 2020: Full Moon in Leo
- The 16th of February 2020: Mars enters Capricorn
- The 16th of February 2020: Mercury goes retrograde
- The 18th of February 2020: Sun enters Pisces
- The 23rd of February 2020: New Moon in Pisces
Astro-Energy Forecast for February 2020
January has set the stage for 2020! With the Saturn Pluto conjunction and a full moon eclipse in Cancer (the second last eclipse in the Cancer Capricorn eclipse story) all taking place on the same weekend, we found ourselves stretched, worn and confronting old demons to help them pass.
February brings some fresh, new and innovative energy thanks to Aquarius. We’re also getting ready for Pisces season to usher in, bringing us to the end of the astrological year.
Current lunar cycle: Aquarius
With so many crazy transits in the sign of Capricorn, the Sun moving into Aquarius on the 20th of January felt like a breath of fresh air – literally! Capricorn energy is driven by hard work and determination.
This can oftentimes feel burdensome, with too much responsibility and commitment on one’s plate. Aquarius energy, which will still run its course for more than half of February, will take our consciousness to the space where we think of the bigger picture, dream big for our lives and question our contributions to society.
Later this month, the Sun moves into Pisces, the watery, emotional sign of empathy, spirituality and the other realms. Perhaps January’s events will be felt on a deeper level as the collective consciousness moves into this new energy. Perhaps February and March help us integrate with these new energies so that, come the new year at the time of Aries, we can move forward with even more fuel to our fire. 2020 is also a leap year, so there’s one extra day in February.
Key dates for February
The 9th of February 2020 Full Moon in Leo
February starts with a fabulous Full Moon in Leo. Unlike January’s very heavy and intense Full Moon eclipse in Cancer, February’s Full Moon will feel exciting, full of life and full of energy.
The sign of Leo, symbolised by the lion, carries wonderful energies of strength, leadership, confidence and individuality. During the time of the Full Moon, these energies will help us feel assured that we’re on the right path. They may also bring us a sense of strength that, despite what may be occurring in our lives, we have the courage to face them and the ability to see our challenges through.
This Leo Full Moon is a culmination of the energies set in motion at the time of the Leo New Moon, six months prior in August 2019. If you can think back to what was happening at this time, you may be able to see which themes are at play, and what emotional, spiritual and metaphysical baggage you can let go of.
Leo and Aquarius present an interesting connection. Leo is concerned with the Self in a way that it makes itself its main priority – an important thing to do especially since self-love, worth and value are often compromised by the prioritisation of other people, external commitments and so on. Aquarius is concerned with the Self in relation to society; how we contribute to the bigger picture, how we take our inner strength and act with courage for the whole, the collective.
With the Sun in Aquarius and the Moon in Leo, this may prove to be an interesting Full Moon period (give or take three days prior to and after the Full Moon date itself), as either old concepts of the Self in relation to others and the whole may shift.
As a Leo myself, from my Leo heart to yours, I send you blessings on this Full Moon.
The 16th of February 2020 Mars Enters Capricorn
Mars joins Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, adding an extra hit of fire into these already interesting cosmic alignments.
Mars is related to the God of War in both Greek and Roman mythology. The energy of Mars is much more than the association of war, fighting, battle and aggression. Think of him more as a dependable, strong and reliable figure that can help you not only get started with projects, but he’ll also take care of the heavy lifting. Mars energy can help you initiate projects and at times, also help you see them through.
Mars in Capricorn will bring a lot of energy to our ambitions, but we may not feel like ‘hype man’ energy straight away. As Mars enters Capricorn, there technically should be a lot of forward motion in places where we have to work, be responsible and be diligent, but with so many planets in Capricorn, we may feel a bit bogged down by the earthy, heavy, grounded-to-point-of-stuck feelings that may come our way. This can play out in a feeling of frustration or lack of motivation. If this is the case for you, try and lessen your load by maybe taking a day off work, doing something nice for yourself, or just rest and take a minute.
These feelings can also be spurred on by…
The 16th of February Mercury Goes Retrograde
The first of Mercury’s retrograde cycles kicks off just as Mars enters Capricorn. Beginning on the 16th of February, Mercury’s seemingly backward motion will turn the planetary energy on its head until it goes direct again on the 9th of March.
Mercury’s retrograde period is the perfect time to slow down and quieten. This intersects really nicely with the sun moving into Pisces later in February. Mercury in retrograde has a really bad reputation for glitches, communication breakdowns, travel delays, and so on. This reputation likens the energy more to a trickster god than that or Hermes, the winged messenger of the Gods. As the messenger, he was a conduit of information that could traverse the skies and deliver messages to those who needed them. His ability to communicate with any and everyone was a blessing.
If you find yourself pushing too hard during Mercury’s retrograde, slow down. Our sixth sense, our intuition and our psychic abilities are all heightened during the time of Mercury’s retrograde. If the winged messenger of the gods has a message for you, be sure that you’re still and quiet enough to receive it.
The 18th of February 2020 Sun enters Pisces
Pisces is such a fascinating sign and energy. Its dreamlike, sleepy, hazy and restful feel can be great energy to work with. Pisces energy has us traverse the realms of our subconscious whether we’re aware of it or not.
Pisces season is really a time for us to pay attention to our dreams, listen to our intuition and connect with our higher Self through deepening our spiritual practices. As it is such an emotionally, heart-driven energy, empath behaviours or themes of boundaries may come into play at this time.
During Pisces season, take some time to reflect on a few things that may have come up for you over the year of 2019 until now. A new astrological year will begin in March, so use the time in February to take stock, reflect and slowly wrap up this chapter. Ask yourself some important questions:
- How have you grown spiritually?
- Have you developed a new way of thinking or being in some aspect of your life?
- Have you shifted in some way?
- What came up in your shadow, and did you process it?
As Pisces season marks the end of a phase or chapter of 2019, definitely take some time to honour the growth you have gone through.
The 23rd of February 2020 New Moon in Pisces
New Moons are typically about bringing in energy, setting intentions and sowing seeds, but as this is the end of the astrological year, we simultaneously close down and reflect on the previous year.
The start of Aries season is considered the beginning of the astrological new year. In March, we will herald in a brand new set of energies, lessons and gifts to work with. With this, Pisces season is the perfect time to bid farewell to 2019, to thank it for the lessons that you’ve learned and sort of lay to rest anything that didn’t serve you.
A bit confusing, but while you’re wrapping up 2019, also consider which energies you’d like to bring in at the Pisces New Moon. As Pisces is really involved with spirituality, perhaps set your intention to get more in touch with your intuition, to develop your spiritual practice more, to start taking lessons or make a commitment to yourself to develop healthy escape tactics.
Perhaps try and make one promise to your spiritual or personal development and give yourself a few months to stick with it. If it is aligned with your highest Self, the energy of Pisces will make this commitment almost effortless. Write down these intentions and keep then somewhere accessible – the seeds you lay down today at the time of the New Moon will come to fruition in six months or so.
If you’re new to lunar phases and working with the energy of the moon, read this post.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this! Stay dreamy during Pisces season and enjoy the winding down of this chapter in your life. Next month will usher in Aries season so there’ll be some wild, busy and exciting energies to work with. For now, rest, dream and take it easy!
Missed a few energy forecasts? Read them here.