February 2012

The thing that I love about 2012 is that it is alive with movement, possibilities and there is so much to surprise and delight as the year progresses. The New Moon on the 23^rd January ushered in the flamboyant and colourful Year of the Dragon, but it's already got off to a good start, simply by falling so early in the year. 2012 is a year that is constantly on the move and is not the kind of year that you can take a look at in the early weeks and feel you know what to expect, because you can't. Things will change dramatically as the year progresses, with lots of variety, vibrancy and constant shifts and as we move into February we're going to see this in motion, with one of the biggest and most significant planetary movements of the year happening on the 4^th February.

The length of a planetary cycle varies from planet to planet, but the rule of thumb is that the longer a planet stays in a Sign the longer it has to influence things and therefore the more potent it is. Mercury, the fastest planet in the solar system can spend as little as 15 to 17 days in one Sign, Venus on average about 24 to 25 days, the Sun a month, Mars around 6 weeks, Jupiter a year and Saturn 2 to 3 years. But once you get out past Saturn we get to the 3 outer planets, known as the 'generational planets', because they quite literally stay in one area of your chart for years, influencing a whole generation of people born in those times, so yes, there really is such a thing as a generation gap!

Uranus will spend around 7 years in each Sign and each area of your chart, Neptune anywhere from 14 to 16 and Pluto anywhere from 14 to 20 years. Over the last few years both Uranus and Pluto changed Sign, which caused a real shift in focus, but they have finally settled in to a position they'll hold for several more years, though their experience and journey there is still fairly new. Uranus, who only finally settled in Aries last March will stay there until March 2019 and Pluto, who has been in Capricorn since 2008 will remain until November 2024, so his is a relatively new journey as well.

Yet while Uranus and Pluto's journeys are fairly new Neptune is a real relic from the past, in that he has been in Aquarius and the Aquarius ruled area of your chart since 1998, 14 years! There is no other area of your chart that comes even close to being active for this long and the fact that Uranus was already there when Neptune arrived, means that apart from a few months in 2011 there hasn't been a day since 1996, 16 years now, that the Aquarius ruled area of your chart hasn't been active. This makes this the longest game in town and where things have been so active, for so long that they are now part of your normal and therefore the way things have always been and always will be, or not!

All that is about to change this month when on the 4^th February Neptune, planet of dreams and fantasies and the planet that inspires your imagination and has you believing in what could be, will leave Aquarius and as it will take him another 149 years to return, it won't be in your lifetime. This really is the end of an era and while you move into the month with the Sun and Mercury in Aquarius as well, with Mercury leaving on the 14^th February and the Sun on the 19^th February they will be working to tie up loose ends and cementing Neptune's influence, packaging this into something you can hold onto, while also working on their own agenda, which is to bring things up to speed in the short term.

Your Individual Monthly Horoscope Reports will detail which area of your chart is ruled by Aquarius and where this influence is being felt, but for an example for Leos this is on the relationship front, for Cancereans on the financial front, for Virgos on the work front and for Scorpios on the home and family front.

While this will mark the end of an era, finally wrapping up the longest story in your life at this stage, it also marks the beginning of the next longest story. When Neptune leaves Aquarius and returns to Pisces, the Sign that it rules and therefore comes back into its home energy and into his most potent expression, this will kick off a journey that won't run its course until 2026. There isn't an area of your chart that is active now that will still be active then, with even Pluto leaving Capricorn in 2024, 2 years earlier, so what this opens the door to is quite literally your future. Other themes will come and go, but the one theme that will remain constant for the next 14 years, are the themes in the Pisces ruled area of your chart.

To get the ball rolling Venus, the planet that rules through the heart, by inspiring your desires and triggering the laws of attraction, is already in Pisces as we move into February, so if you want to know what the future holds just listen to your heart. Venus will remain in Pisces until the 8^th February, leaving just 4 days after Neptune returns. But 4 days is more than enough time for heart and imagination to get together, giving you a glimpse of what's possible. Venus will return to Pisces every year that Neptune is here, so this is simply the first of several happy encounters. Venus spent some time with Neptune in Pisces last year, during his brief 4 month testing of the waters visit, but when Mercury returns to Pisces on the 14^th February and the Sun on the 19^th February, it will be the first time that they have encountered Neptune here in your lifetime. This will give you your first chance to apply the Sun's vision, reality checks and clarity and Mercury's intellectual savvy and articulation to Neptune's dreams and fantasies, giving you a chance to begin the process of walking the talk, getting the ball rolling in what will be an annual event, each year layering upon the other, until eventually you're able to turn Neptune's dreams into reality.

Both the Sun and Mercury will leave Pisces next month, but in Mercury's case he's going to do a U turn and come back for a double dip visit, allowing him to come back and talk to Neptune on his own. Once again your Individual Monthly Horoscope Reports will detail which area of your chart is ruled by Pisces and what this means, but as an example for Cancereans this will shift the focus away from your financial situation and onto a greater sense of freedom, liberation, travel, a sense of adventure, curiosity and a hunger for knowledge, really opening up your world. For Virgos the focus will shift from work to your relationships and for Geminis this shifts the focus to your career and professional situation, where a whole new chapter is kicking off.

The New Moon that falls in Pisces on the 22^nd February is the first while Neptune is here in your lifetime, giving you a chance to not only get things moving in the short term, taking advantage of the new doors this opens and the tailwind this creates, but to make this the official start of a whole new era. The last time that Neptune was in Pisces, apart from the 4 months he spent here last year was between 1847 and 1862, so no one alive now knows what this is like, so you get to approach this new era as an adventure.

Neptune in Pisces is going to be different than Neptune in any other area of your chart that he's been in during your lifetime, for as I said Neptune rules Pisces and it's here that he'll be at his strongest and most influential, with a chance to find out firsthand how far this can take you and another 14 years to do it in.

There is one date this month that is shaping up to being an extremely important or lynchpin day, bringing 3 different areas of your chart together and creating quite a turning point. That date is the 8^th February and on that same day and within hours of each other Venus will leave Pisces and return to Aries, Saturn will turn retrograde in Libra and we will have a Full Moon in Leo. Aries and Leo are fellow Fire signs and have a close working relationship, with Venus supporting this Full Moon and the other way round. On the other hand Aries and Libra are opposing signs, with Venus' return to Aries setting the scene for an opposition with Saturn, which Saturn is turning back to embrace. 2010 and 2011 were really rocked by the Saturn/Uranus and the Saturn/Jupiter oppositions between Aries and Libra, but while there may be some pressure building towards the end of the month, this is not the major oppositions of the past and something that will purely keep you on your toes.

Another area of your chart where you might be feeling some pressure is between the Pisces and Virgo ruled area of your chart, where since as far back as November 2008 and right into 2010 we experienced both Saturn/Uranus and Saturn/Jupiter oppositions as well. If there is still some sensitivity you may find that old buttons are pushed and old triggers activated, but these aren't the feared oppositions of the past and will provide a valuable opportunity to recognise where there are things unresolved. This pressure is coming from Mars, who turned retrograde in Virgo on the 24^th January and remaining in retrograde motion until mid April and not leaving until early July, he's opened the door to the past, to second chances and to fight for the things you need and against the things that need to remain in the past.

The one planet that you might not hear much from this month but you're likely to feel, through a growing sense of confidence is Jupiter, planet of luck and expansion. Since turning direct in Taurus on Boxing Day Jupiter has been on a slow and steady comeback, slowly gaining speed, strength and momentum. Jupiter has been happy to operate behind the scenes, knowing that his time will come, but also giving you a chance to slowly rebuild things in the Taurus ruled area of your chart, working behind the scenes for as long as possible.

I began this Overview by saying what I love about 2012 is the variety and the constant shifts, that we're not going to get bogged down in any one thing or theme. While February is being dominated by Neptune's departure from Aquarius and return to Pisces, by Venus' return to Aries where she'll open the door to 3 of the most important months of the year in the Aries ruled area of your chart, by Mars' first full month in retrograde motion in Virgo and by a series of small oppositions, next month will be completely different again. For it will be Venus' return to Taurus on the 5^th March that will thrust Jupiter back into the limelight, causing the Taurus ruled area of your chart to shine. As the month progresses there will be a growing sense of confidence and even the oppositions we have, which aren't major, will keep you on your toes and are more likely to motivate you.

This is a theme that isn't just unique to February and March, with April destined to be different again, in an extremely auspicious way, with this theme continuing throughout the year. So with January behind you get in and enjoy this, the shortest month of the year, blessing the fact that as a Leap Year we have a much needed extra day.

All the very best for the coming month and a reminder that all the themes I've discussed above and so much more are included in the Individual Monthly Horoscope Reports, which detail which area of your chart these planetary influences are impacting, what it means and how to work with them to live your best and most phenomenal life possible. It's a pleasure to be your Tour Guide in this fascinating year.

Kind regards

Anne Macnaughtan
anne@forecasters.co.nz

Order your Monthly Horoscope Report NOW

For more Personal Insight and Guidance call
0900 85000 or 0900 55000
or Credit Card Calls - 0800 7 85000