Astrological Energies for February 22 to 28, 2010

NorthPoint Astrology Journal
Written by Pam Younghans

Our Sun has been very active since the beginning of 2010. On most days, there has been at least one active sunspot on the Sun's surface, and solar flares and coronal mass ejections have been increasing. These solar activities cause our beautiful Northern Lights, as the solar wind from those eruptions on the Sun's surface reach Earth's atmosphere and the two energy fields interact.

It would seem that the extreme solar minimum we've been experiencing is finally over. "Solar minimum" is the term for a period when the Sun is mostly quiet. This latest solar minimum was quieter than most, causing some to be concerned: Since 2004, the Sun has been inactive (without sunspots) 772 days. This is compared to a typical solar minimum that has about 485 inactive days.

This renewed solar activity means we'll again have more physical proof of the Sun's effect on us Earthlings, beyond supplying the warmth and light we need to survive. There will be more auroras to grace our skies, and more potential for disruptions of electronic devices when solar flares and coronal mass ejections are especially strong.

In metaphysical terms, the Sun's renewed activity explains a bit about how we've been feeling since early January. We receive information and energy from the Sun with each solar wind that reaches our atmosphere. With the Sun more active now after such an extended quiet phase, we are going through a time of adjustment, as we get used to the increased energy impulses reaching Earth.

The Sun is not only the hub of our solar system -- it is also our point of interaction with the energies of all the other planets that also orbit our great star. Each of the planets in the solar system is held in orbit by gravity, and through that magnetic field, each planet exchanges energy and information with the Sun. When solar winds reach Earth, those winds contain data not only from our Sun, but from all the planets.

The process of receiving this information happens on fairly subtle levels and mostly unconsciously for the majority of us. But since we're becoming more sensitive to energy impulses, it may be a good time to start paying more attention to how we feel and what insights are available when those solar winds reach us. If you're interested, the SpaceWeather.com website monitors solar activity and solar wind speed 24 hours a day.

Astrologically speaking, the Sun represents our core personal identity. Its location by sign, house and aspect in our birth charts reveals vital information about who we chose to be in this lifetime, where we most wanted to experience fulfillment, and the personality traits that both assist and interfere with achieving that fulfillment.

Now that the Sun is more active both physically and metaphysically, we may find that our very essence is being stirred. We have begun to question, even more pointedly than before, who we are as individuals, why we're here, and what will satisfy the urge we each have for personal fulfillment.

Because the solar minimum phase began back in 2004, it might be revealing to review the past five or six years in our personal experience, especially as related to our primary needs for fulfillment (as shown by the Sun's location in our charts). Have there been ways in which you've felt things have been "stuck" in this area, or that you haven't been able to find the clarity and insights to move your life forward? (For a reminder of the meanings of the 12 houses, please visit the "Houses" page of my website at http://www.northpointastrology.com/1538.html.)

Perhaps with the Sun gaining in activity, with more information and energy beginning to stir in our atmosphere, in our cells and in our psyches, we'll be able to gain those insights we need for greater personal fulfillment. This process will be supported even more directly after the Spring Equinox, when the Sun enters Aries and begins the astrological New Year.

The Neptune-Chiron conjunction, exact last week, continues to influence the energy field this week. This has been an emotional time for many, as the wounds of separation have been exposed, asking to be healed.

Mercury aligns with Neptune and Chiron next Saturday, bringing into our awareness the issues surrounding our fears of abandonment, rejection, separation and alienation. Next weekend will be an especially powerful time to monitor your dreams for insights, and to spend time journaling on the themes that arise -- remembering that bringing issues into conscious awareness is an important step in their resolution and healing.

Next weekend may not, however, be the best time to expect yourself to be logical and rational, or even especially clear in your communications with others. Neptune's effect on Mercury can be elevating spiritually, but isn't so helpful for tasks that require clear, focused thought.

The feeling of being a bit in "la la land" next weekend is likely to be increased by the Pisces Full Moon on Sunday (at 8:38am PST). The Sabian symbol for the location of the Moon at the time of the lunation (at 10 degrees Virgo), sheds some light on the themes involved:

Two heads looking out and beyond the shadows: The growth of true understanding, born out of the transcendence of duality even while immersed in the world of duality.

This symbolic image, while related to the Full Moon, also speaks to the energies of the Mercury/Neptune/Chiron alignment in Aquarius. Our third dimensional perceptions are informed by our current dualistic "reality," and so we believe that we can be separate, alienated, and even abandoned or rejected.

In our Highest Self awareness, we know that we are each connected to All That Is, and in that way are never apart from those we love. The struggle of consciousness, as represented by the sign of Aquarius, is how to experience individuality and know our uniqueness, while also accepting that we are One.

For the most part, our minds glaze over when trying to come to terms with such a paradox. But perhaps next weekend's Full Moon and Mercury/Neptune/Chiron energies will help us accept spiritually what we cannot fathom intellectually.

Added to all this is a Jupiter-Sun alignment, also exact next Sunday and so an integral part of the Full Moon experience. Jupiter is the Great Amplifier, exaggerating the energies of whatever he touches. His alignment with the Sun in Pisces will tend to dissolve the boundaries of consciousness even further, making it less clear where I end and you begin, and blurring the separation between dimensions.

Because of this extra emphasis on the Sun at the time of the Full Moon, it makes sense that we also note the Sabian symbol for 10 degrees of Pisces, where both the Sun and Jupiter will be located:

An aviator pursues his journey, flying through ground-obscuring clouds: Our ability to develop powers and skills which, by transcending natural limitations, allow us to operated in mental-spiritual realms.

This image is a perfect description of how we may feel next weekend, that we are "flying through ground-obscuring clouds." It also gives us even more confirmation about the higher intentions of the Full Moon energies: to move us beyond the constraints of the dualistic mind and into a more spiritually-based perspective. It is this enlightened view of "reality" -- the perspective we gain when our human vision is obscured and we have to rely on our inner navigational tools -- that will guide our flight as we complete the month of February.

Blessings,

Pam

NorthPoint Astrology Blog: Remember to visit my blog at http://northpointastrology.blogspot.com/ for more comments and perspectives -- and to add your own!