ASTROMARK - Monthly Astrology Report

2) there is a full quarterly newsletter called Astromark that can be downloaded in the left column here in the purple-ish colored block-it is new at the Summer and Winter Solstice and Spring and Autumn Equinox

3) The New & Full Moon Email newsletter which is a short, quick look at what's up immediately. Register for it on the index page.

Check out specific info about upcoming Mercury Retrograde cycles near the bottom of this page.

Early 2012 Quarterly Astromark Astrology Newsletter is now available, click here.

February Astrology Forecast

Neptune moves into Pisces on February 3rd. This has not been around for 165 years (except for a short teaser last April to August 2011), and will be with us for the next 14 years. This combination will help you open to your intuition, spirituality, and a divine feminine energy. Of course, it will also burst any illusions you are holding onto. You can't get enlightened if you are living in illusions! Relationship planet Venus moves into Aries late on the 7th, then aligns with Uranus on the 9th. This presents an opportunity to meet new friends, explore new relationship opportunities (both business, friendship, and personal). Valentine's Day evening is under the influence of a Sagittarius moon, which tends to do things in a big and adventurous way. If you are looking for romance on Valentine's Day, the weekend prior to February 14th is better since the moon is in romantic Libra.

February 1-4: The month begins with lots of talk. Do short, quick projects as the month begins rather than trying to accomplish heavy, research projects. In other words, keep moving. On Friday the 3rd, Neptune moves into Pisces for the next 14 years. Make some time for meditation or go on a vision quest over the weekend. Neptune in Pisces initially has you feeling spaced out or like your world has dissolved. You may just feel spacey this week. If so, allow yourself to dream in a new reality- like an Australian aborigine dreaming her/his reality before manifesting it. Neptune in Pisces will help you open to a new vision for your life, but is will drift in gradually rather than coming as a clear burst of insight. For now, understand that old paradigms of operating in this world will not work in the world anymore (or at least they are quickly fading away). Although you likely do not know what is coming in right now, you do know what doesn't fit anymore. Make time on Saturday to spend time with people who help you feel safe and nurtured.

February 5-11 : Sunday is a comfort-food day. The pace picks up on Monday as the moon moves into passionate Leo in preparation for Tuesday's full moon.

The Full Moon comes at 1:54 PM PST on Tuesday the 7th. It is in the polarity signs of Leo and Aquarius (19 degrees Leo). The message is to open your heart and get involved, but do maintain a healthy dose of detachment so you do not get pulled into the drama behavior of others. At this full moon, restrictive Saturn turns retrograde in the final degree of Libra. If you pay attention to subtle indicators, you will get a hint of what is coming next October when Saturn moves into deeply emotional and intense Scorpio. For the next several months, it is wise to restructure all types of relationships as well as to bring your body and world into a higher balance. This is a busy full moon because love & money Venus moves into Aries for the rest of the month. The goddess of beauty helps you pick up the pace if you are willing to explore new opportunities and relationships- especially friendships and organizations in the days ahead.

Thursday the 9th is an exciting day. Do something out of the ordinary including meeting new people. The weekend prior to Valentine's Day is under the influence of a romantic Libra moon. This is a much better weekend for traditional Valentine's Day romance than the 14th.

Mark provides mini-consultations Feb. 11 & 12 at the Anniversary Celebration of Healing Waters & Sacred Spaces on NE Broadway in Portland.

February 12-18 : This is a lively week. It begins with a wide variety of lunar aspects on Sunday, meaning that emotions will flow from one feeling to the next on a changeable day. Communications planet Mercury is very active on Monday the 13th, so expect a lot of quick conversations and tasks. At the same time, the moon is in Scorpio which prefers emotional depth and intensity -so expect some contradictions between your head and heart on Monday.

Valentine's Day has the moon void-of-course until 4:56 PM PST when it moves into generous Sagittarius. A "void of course" moon (see Basic Astrology Primer) is when you should meditate, be introspective, or do laundry. A Sag. moon in the evening can be a lot of fun, but do watch the budget or overdoing the meal. This is more of a friendly Valentine's Day than a big romance day, so do romance on Feb. 10-12 if that is what you seek.

With the exception of a small energy bump on Wednesday morning, the rest of the week flows smoothly. The weekend is under the influence of a Capricorn moon, so accomplish something tangible this weekend. Saturday night supports a movie, music or something spiritual in nature.

February 19-25 : The Sun aligns with Neptune in Pisces on Sunday the 19th. Since Neptune just moved into Pisces for the first time in 165 years, this alignment shines light on this new energy. Open to a higher vision, participate in spiritual activities, or go someplace watery to allow creative ideas to flow to you.

The New Moon is on Tuesday February 21st at 2:35 PM PST (3 degrees Pisces). Seven of the ten planets used in astrology are in very close proximity in the signs Pisces, Aries, and Taurus. This means that you are called to concentrate your energy to integrate diverse parts of your being or life into a cohesive whole. Look at where you are scattering your energy or taking actions that are not in accord with the direction your inner vision wants to go. The opportunity is to tune into your vision (Pisces), take action to support yourself in going in that direction (Aries), then to bring that vision down into pragmatic reality (Taurus). Remember that ambitious Mars is still in its retrograde period as all this is going on, so you benefit by getting organized and simplifying your life. If you celebrate Mardi Gras, pleasant planetary aspects support a mild party.

The weekend supports physical activity such as exercise, dancing, yoga or even getting rid of boxes of stuff in your garage (as long as it is not an all day project).

February 26-29 : The moon moves into Taurus early in the week. Some people will go for comfortable and sensual pleasures, others will want to accomplish tangible goals where you can say, "I accomplished X today." The end of the month picks up the pace with lots of conversations under a Gemini moon.

March 2012 has a lucky Grand Earth Trine. Check back for details.

Upcoming Mercury Retrograde cycles

When people question whether astrology is a viable tool, I like to advise them of Mercury retrograde cycles so they can watch for themselves. Mercury represents scheduling, planning, ideas, communications, transportation and things that happen in a short, quick way. Retrograde means that a planet appears to move backwards. Although planets do not actually move backwards, they do provide an optical illusion of doing so. Imagine you are on a train and another train passes you going in the same direction. For a brief moment, your brain is fooled into thinking you are going backwards. Sometimes you also experience this feeling in a parking lot.

All of the planets (except the moon) turn retrograde relative to our view of them from earth. Each has their own cycle. Mercury is retrograde for about 3 weeks and approximately three times each year. A distant planet like Pluto is retrograde for almost six months each year.

In the case of Mercury, communications and scheduling can get screwed up. You must practice better communications during these times. For example, I was to meet some friends at a Thai restaurant in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood. It is a relatively small neighborhood so I thought I knew exactly where the restaurant was based upon the friend remembering only that the restaurant had a 'fruity' name. I assumed I knew exactly where it was, having been to Papaya Thai before. My friends had a wonderful dinner at Mango Thai and I ate alone at Papaya Thai (I even forgot to take my cell phone!). So, clear communications are important in Mercury retrograde.

You also want to back up your computer, repair your car, balance your checkbook, or catch up on phone calls during the shadow period that begins about ten days prior to Mercury retrograde. As a rule, astrologers frown on signing important contracts during Mercury retrograde. I have seen several people buy perfectly good cars during Mercury retrograde only to find that the interest rate was excessive after they hurriedly signed the lease.

Mercury retrograde is good for retreat, re-visioning, and other "re" words. It is good for making a general plan, then hammering out the details later. Behind the scenes preparation or learning something new is good under Mercury retrograde.

Below are upcoming Mercury retrograde cycles and the degrees and signs they are in. If you know where the sign (s) land in your birth chart, you know the areas of your life that are up for re-visioning during the cycle. If you have natal planets that Mercury crosses over, you would also look to the meaning of that planet for added information. For example, if Mercury is retrograde in Libra in your seventh house, you would be communicating balance and harmony in your relationships. If you have Saturn placed in your seventh house when you were born, you would be communicating boundaries in your relationships. There is a free pdf download of a Basic Astrology Primer in the left had column of this page. It will help give you basic meanings of the signs and houses to help you.

The main thing during Mercury retrograde is to practice mental flexibility. If the important person you need to talk to is on vacation, then there is no sense being in anxiety while you wait for them to return. I like to leave extra time in my schedule in case something changes. If you know that this disruptive energy is up, then you don't take the world quite so seriously.

Your friends will also see that astrology really does work just by paying attention to Mercury retrograde. Of course, then they are hooked and will want to learn more!

But what if I simply must sign a contract or initiate an important action during Mercury retrograde? Although astrologers do not like to sign contracts during Mercury retrograde, sometimes you just have to do it due to circumstances. In that case, you just make sure that you read the fine print and allow wiggle room for things to shift. During my corporate years, I took two jobs during Mercury retrograde. In both cases, the job shifted in terms of territory changes (sales) and other factors, and both changed very quickly after Mercury turned direct. Everything worked out fine in both cases.

As an example, the Boeing Company was founded during Mercury retrograde, and certainly they have been successful. But anyone who has worked with them will tell you that they have problems with their internal communications. So just make sure you are setting up good communications and ways to deal with the other company or in your team communications with the client.

As a general rule of thumb when you have to sign off during Mercury retrograde, I prefer not to doing it in the few days before and after it is stationary, either turning backwards (retrograde) or turning forwards (direct). The other general rule is that during the first half of Mercury retrograde, you clean up old business. Then during the second half, you are preparing for the future. But that is just a general rule of thumb.

March 12-April 4, 2012 7 degrees Aries-23 Pisces . Aries wants to take new action and Pisces wants to drift with new ideas before putting them into play. Aries wants to go real fast, and Mercury rules transportation. So do watch speeding and impatience in whatever mode you transport yourself around the world. As Mercury backs into Pisces on March 23, you will want to pull back to check if some aspect of your life needs to be re-visioned before moving forward with it. In esoteric astrology (spiritual), Mercury likes to be in Aries (called esoteric rulership). It is the energy of communicating right action. During this retrograde cycle, take some meditative time to tune into the actions that you are preparing to take. Consider what level of expression you would like them to take before just rushing in to accomplish the task. Less can be more if you do it at a higher frequency of vibration.

July 14 -August 7, 2012 14-1 degrees Leo. Leo is about opening your heart by reconnecting with the child within. It is about opening your creativity and bringing forth your leadership skills. Make some time to play this summer and don't take life too seriously. Leo is ruled by the sun, so soak in some sunshine. Look at your life and look at the things you are doing that are just not fun anymore. Although you may not be able to change those things right away, begin to take steps now that will help increase the joy and decrease the obligations that are no longer appropriate for you.

November 6-26, 2012 5 degrees Sagittarius-18 Scorpio. This Mercury retrograde begins on Election day. Mercury turned retrograde on Election Day when George Bush and Al Gore ran into voting problems in Florida. Because Neptune and Chiron are sitting on the birth chart for the state of Ohio, that will be a good bellwether state to watch. Texas was "born" with Uranus and Mars aligned in Aries. Since Uranus is returning to its home base this year (happens every 84 years), Texas could very well be a wild card state, meaning expect the unexpected. On a personal level, this Mercury retrograde cycle is good to see where you are tracking in your daily life with your philosophy, or are they on separate tracks? Scorpio asks you to release that which you no longer need, and it can bring deep emotions to the surface. Sagittarius urges you to take the high road. Perhaps it is time to do behind the scenes planning for your next adventure!.

Laminated pictures of the Violet Flame and Ascended Masters are available for your meditation altar.

GIFT CERTIFICATES are easy, can be purchased in any dollar amount towards any service, and can be used world wide. Call to purchase: 503-252-1558.

FYI: The Central Sun Meditation CD is available. During 2012, there is a $5 discount on the CD when you purchase it at the time of your consultation.

Mitakuya Oyasin

I am now up on Skype (audio only) to do your long distance consultation. I only use Skype for consultations, so it is never turned except for appointments. Please contact me through phone 503-252-1558 or email mark@astromark.us to set up your appointment.

REGARDING FACEBOOK: It is never a good idea to send me an email through Facebook, as I do not check messages or comments there. I just have my Facebook page to help people who are trying to find me. Please use mark@astromark.us or 503-252-1558 to contact me with requests.

Regarding unreturned phone messages: I am really good at returning all phone calls. Sometimes people leave a message from a cell phone where the reception is poor, then I get a partial phone number on the recording and cannot return the call. Please call back and do leave your phone number twice.

Nikola Tesla – Cancer Sun

Nikola Tesla was a genius, yet his fame and fortune experienced numerous highs and lows. Born during the sign of Cancer, this is not a surprise. Cancer is associated with things that move in cycles, like the moon, emotions, and public image. He was both wealthy and poor at different times of his life. His popularity has its swings too, considering his conflicts with Thomas Edison. Aquarius Edison experienced greater public success because he was a better people person than Tesla. Nikola Tesla’s sun sign was harmoniously linked to the planet Neptune, a psychic visionary. Tesla would get his ideas in his dreams at night, and he could even “see” his inventions working before he built them. In this way, he repaired or redesigned his inventions before they were even built. The sign Cancer and the planet Neptune are associated with empathy and compassion. Rather than letting one of his electrical inventions bankrupt the Westinghouse Company, he tore up the $12m contract so that people could receive electrical power at an affordable cost. Of course, Neptune can bring an idealistic or fantasy-like form of love as well. Rather than fall in love with a woman, he fell in love with one of his pigeons!