Transformational Astrology
February 2012
Henry Seltzer
The Astrology of February features Mars, Saturn, Chiron, Uranus and Neptune. The red planet is now retrograde in Virgo, and similar to a Mercury retrograde period in this present condition of Mars, usually representing aggressive and ego-oriented urges, there is instead a tendency for going internal and mulling over our normal actions and activities rather than just doing them. Saturn, also retrograde as of February 7th, loosely aspects Mars as it stations and closely aspects Neptune, so that the contrast between life in the physical plane, represented by Saturn, and life in the multifarious inter-dimensional spaces beyond the purely physical, represented by Neptune, now in its own sign of Pisces after the third, is very much upon us now, adding to the meditative posture symbolized by a more internalized Mars.
Meanwhile the revolutionary energy of Uranus is also very much with us as this second month of 2012 gets underway. Uranus, quite as much as Neptune antithetical to Saturn, therefore takes us out of ourselves and our surface concerns. The recent New Moon from the last ten days of the previous month in Uranus’ own sign of Aquarius closely aspected both Uranus and Jupiter, whose combination brings out the rebel in us all, and also brings forward the potential for surprising events to unfold that change our basic set of perceptions of the world around us.
February 14th, Valentine’s Day, when everyone is out buying chocolates and flowers, coincides with the Last Quarter Moon and with Venus square to Pluto, and therefore this year will represent more of a mixed blessing. We will be searching under the covers of our motivation with regard to relationships as well as patterns of outward aggression, and along with the joyful and celebrity sides of sexuality and romance the various shadow sides – jealousy or factors of power and control – could easily emerge. This is especially true since Chiron is also prominent. We might be able to bring to consciousness certain aspects of our earlier wounding that, just when we least expect them, continue to crop up in our present day situations.
As the cycle begun in late January with the Aquarius New Moon concludes, the one beginning with the February 21st New Moon in early Pisces is powerful as well in that it trips off the same triumvirate of outer planet energies, namely Neptune/Chiron in Pisces, Uranus in Aries and Jupiter in Taurus. Brilliant ideas continue to be the norm rather than the exception, with the extra added benefit of Neptune’s compassion thrown in. Venus is still flirting with both Pluto and Mars so the relationship dynamic remains a bit dicey, but there will be plenty to think about as we look more closely into events in the physical plane, seeking to discern the inner soul-level meaning.
All through this month, these cosmic forces are at work on us, helping us surmount the fences that have been holding us back for far too long from taking our rightful place at the forefront of our own spiritual evolution. This month represents a fitting introduction to the strongly transformational period of time that is shaping up for late spring, when Uranus and Pluto make their exact pass, the first of seven, on the square aspect that has been building between them these last several years. We will be older and definitely wiser on the other side of this powerful spring and summer.
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VALENTINE’S DAY RESOLUTION: INSTALL LOVE 2.0
By Marsha Lucas, PhD
Author of Rewire Your Brain for Love
“Oh, man, I hate Valentine’s Day!” I hear this a lot in my office as February 14th approaches. Since I focus on helping people create healthier relationships, you can probably guess why. Valentine’s Day is the bane of anyone who’s single but doesn’t want to be. It flings daggers of loneliness rather than the gentle arrows of Cupid. And if you’re in a relationship, Valentine’s Day can feel a little like an episode of “Survivor” – are you (or your relationship) surviving? Thriving? Or getting voted off the island?
Instead of dreading another February 14th, consider turning it into your day to make a healthy relationship resolution. You could call it a new year of the heart, the first day of the rest of your love life.
Waitwaitwait! Before you start making your long list of habits that you could resolve to change, you need to remember that cultivating new or better relationships isn’t about admonishing yourself to stop yelling, or putting little sticky notes on the mirror about how wonderful you are. You’ve probably (repeatedly) tried scores of ideas like those, and your relationships still don’t cut it – the same old problems keep resurfacing.
Here’s the thing: The way your brain is wired is mostly what helps – or hurts – when it comes to satisfying, healthy relationships. You need a wired-in “Operating System” that supports better relationships from the ground up — the kind of OS that supports “apps” for keeping your anxiety or anger from hijacking disagreements, or increasing your resilience when it comes to your emotional reactions. I’m sharing here my list of the most important apps for better love – the skills that seem to be the most powerful in creating and sustaining a healthy, vibrant relationship. Best of all, these are acquirable apps, skills you can develop and grow within yourself, within your brain, starting with the most basic and getting progressively more sophisticated:
Better management of your body’s reactions
Regulation of your response to fear and stress
Increased emotional resilience
More flexible responses to relationship challenges
Improved insight (self-knowing)
Healthy, balanced empathy and attunement—within yourself and with others
A perspective shift from “me” to “we”
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Here Comes the Flu Season
Protect Yourself the Wise Woman Way
Susun S Weed
Along with the beauty of fall days comes the need to get ready for winter. Time to get out my long underwear and my warm wooly socks. Time to nourish my immune system so cold days won’t be days of colds – and flu.
I don’t rely on modern medicine to keep me healthy, but if you usually rely on a flu shot to protect you, you may feel frightened by your inability to get one this year. You may be wondering what you can do instead. Or you may have discovered that flu shots don’t give protection from all types of flu, just the ones the makers guess will be active this winter. And you may wonder if there isn’t some other way to prevent the flu. Or maybe, like me, you prefer not to use shots or drugs unless absolutely necessary. You may wonder what herbs and remedies are the best to have on hand to help your family deal with the flu.
No matter what your situation, now is a good time to give yourself the benefit of Wise Woman Ways to prevent – and deal with – the flu. These flu preventers and flu remedies are simple. They are quite safe. And you don’t have to be rich to use them. Wise Woman herbal medicine is people’s medicine. Mama Medicine. You can buy most of the things I discuss in this article – and you can find them growing freely, too. You can buy the herbal preparations I mention already made – and you can easily make you own for pennies, too.
These Wise Woman Ways are supported by both tradition and science. Wise women through the centuries have kept themselves and their families safe from contagious diseases. And science has found good reasons for their effectiveness. I hope these tips will help you face winter’s ills with confidence and good health.
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Be Your Own Herbal Expert- Part 2
Susun S Weed
Herbal medicine is the medicine of the people. It is simple, safe, effective, and free. Our ancestors knew how to use an enormous variety of plants for health and well-being. Our neighbors around the world continue to use local plants for healing and health maintenance, and you can too.
In your first lesson, you learned how to “listen” to the messages of plant’s tastes. And you discovered that using plants in water bases (teas, infusions, vinegars, soups) – and as simples – allows you to experiment with and explore herbal medicine safely.
In this lesson, we will learn how to make effective water-based herbal remedies and talk more about using simples.
Tea for You?
Teas are a favorite way to consume herbs. Made by brewing a small amount of herbs (typically a teaspoonful to a cup of water) for a short time (generally 1-2 minutes), teas are flavorful, colorful drinks.
Herbs rich in coloring compounds – such as hibiscus, rose hips, calendula, and black tea – make enticing and tasty teas. They may also contain polyphenols, phytochemicals known to help prevent cancer. Since coloring compounds and polyphenols are fairly stable, dried herbs are considered best for teas rich in these.
Herbs rich in volatile oils – such as ginger, chamomile, cinnamon, catnip, mint, lemon balm, lemon grass, lavender, bergamot, and fennel, anise, and cumin seeds – make lovely teas, which are effective in easing spasms, stimulating digestion, eliminating pain, and inducing sleep. Since much of the volatile oils are lost when herbs are dried, fresh herbs are considered best for teas rich in these, but dried herbs can be used with good results.
I enjoy a cup of hot tea with honey. But teas fail to deliver the mineral richness locked into many common herbs. A cup of nettle tea, for instance, contains only 5-10 mg of calcium, while a cup of nettle infusion contains up to 500 mg of calcium. For optimum nutrition, I drink nourishing herbal infusions every day.
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