February 4th ~ 11th

All truths are easy to understand, once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. ~ Galileo 

Mercury stations, or appears to stand still, as it pauses for its apparent direct motion on Friday. Thankfully so. And this is even as Mercury is in a locked embrace with Pluto, our lord of the underworld. Even as they dare to unearth the denizens from the dark places of our hearts and minds. And this is because doing our Pluto work is some of the most important work we can do. It’s the sort of work that requires courage, perhaps a bit of humility and a lot of grit and determination. And now that Mercury will be direct again, we are being given the tools to do that work.

Pluto has been insinuating itself into our lives through a number of configurations lately. In December Venus stationed retrograde at the degree of Pluto, opening up old wounds, and unearthing our personal demons. The Full Moon in January was also exactly opposite Pluto. And now Mercury will be conjunct Pluto through the middle of February. We can’t escape this guy. Not even locking the door and closing the drapes will keep him from creeping into the cobwebs of our minds. All sorts of things could have been unearthed while Mercury was still retrograde, but now that Mercury is going to be direct again, it can almost feel like a revelation. Know that it was Mercury who descended into Hades in order to rescue Persephone and lead her back to the surface, and into the arms of Demeter.

Mercury/Pluto work together to uncover that which had been lost, hidden or simply forgotten. We thought we had put those memories in a safe place, locked away in a box somewhere. But here they come again! Old mysteries surface which we suffer to solve, while some of the pieces are long lost and buried somewhere else, in some other lifetime. And yet we are meant to make sense of all this. 

Mercury/Pluto weather can be obsessive. We could find ourselves ruminating and plotting our revenge. Or we can use this weather to gain deeper understanding, and even to arrive at a place of healing. That single pointed focus can also be useful when needing to research a project, or for getting to the bottom of a problem or issue. It brings focus, intense concentration and profound insight, as it strives to solve those mysteries and uncover that which had been hidden. It is a transit of investigation and discovery.  

In our everyday lives we can use this transit for anything that requires concentration and sorting out: Take care of the paperwork; get your taxes done; ruthlessly organize your environment; recycle, repurpose, declutter, purify and clean.

But perhaps the most useful way to use the Mercury/Pluto conjunction is to gain personal insight and understanding of the intricate workings of our own minds. And what we can do to improve ourselves. 

We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. ~ Albert Einstein

Mercury and Pluto are not the only planets pairing up, for beginning this week and until the ides of March, Venus and Mars will also be traveling together. This is an unusually long time for the planet of desire to be traveling with the planet of passion. This could get steamy at times. We’ll all be clutching our pearls and reaching for the smelling salts at the New Moon in March when Venus, Mars and Pluto will ALL be in the same degree of Capricorn. Who knows what sorts of decadence, betrayal and scandals will be revealed? Time to get the popcorn ready…

However, the most newsworthy transit for the month of February is the Jupiter/Uranus sextile. And even before Mars and Venus start to steam things up, Mars gallantly opens this week by inaugurating this lucky transit into our lives. Jupiter/Uranus weather dares us to step outside of our comfort zone just enough to open up a whole hope chest of possibilities. And Mars is giving us the courage to take that first step. Jupiter/Uranus opens up the window. All we need to do is climb through and show up. 

There is a certain restlessness that can emerge when Jupiter and Uranus work together. It frees us up for better things, and fills us with anticipation for what can be. We start this week with a Sun/Saturn conjunction that can fill one with dread. There are delays. We cling to what we know, and what feels safe. Fear not, for on the other side of the Saturn conjunction is the promise of better things to come.  

Jupiter/Uranus periods can also shift things about quite unexpectedly, so you will want to be alert and ready to jump in, if and when an opening arises. Mars, even in Capricorn, can speed things up even more than they already are. So you may not have time to do all the research that Mercury/Pluto will require, or wait around till you are ready. We’re going on a wing and a prayer. Put on your PF Flyers and strap on your life preserver. Something interesting this way comes, and you’ll want to be ready.

For next week’s horoscopes, click below:

HOROSCOPES

Image: “The Return of Persephone” by Fredric Leighton

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