By Erik M Roth of Inspiral Nexus

Link to my astrology page: https://www.facebook.com/InSpiralNexus

The Moon in Taurus will be making its monthly visit with Uranus on February 7.  This year, though, the Moon will occult Uranus 11 times beginning this month (plus two more in January, 2023).  The occultation/conjunction will take place at 10˚59’ of Taurus, above, and to the right of the star Menkar, symbolizing the mouth of the Cetus constellation (Whale/Sea Leviathan).  This places it also below the Ram constellation.  We haven’t experienced lunar occultations of Uranus since 2014-15, when Uranus was in the sign of Aries.

An occultation is when one celestial body covers another celestial body, creating a time when the covered up planet or star is hidden for a few minutes or so.  This is different from an eclipse because during an eclipse, the observer will experience a shadow of some kind, which on Earth only involves the Sun and Moon.  This particular lunar occultation will only be visible to very few in the extreme South Atlantic ocean between South America and Southern Africa, bordering on Antarctica.

A lunar occultation enhances the symbolic and energetic relationship that we have with a planet or star or asteroid.  With Uranus, this conjunction-occultation activates the Taurus mystery school through Uranus, invoking a Promethean-type of opportunity for revolutionary ideas, breakthroughs and a greater view for Taurus (which is typically more ‘earth-bound’ in its own perceptions).

Taurus’s school of being is expressed deeply through the five basic senses in order to know what is good for the body.  Pleasure, comfort, beauty and sensuality are unmistakably linked to the essence of Taurus.  Uranus’ transit through this sign began in 2018 and will continue until the 2025-26 period when it begins to transition to the sign of Gemini.

Find out even more about Uranus’ transit in Taurus here

On a global level, it has been experienced that Uranus in Taurus has helped understand our relationship with convenience and material things (bringing beauty, pleasure, comfort, etc).  Uranus in Taurus helps bring in events beyond our control, leading, in part, to the various breakdowns (from source/factory to doorstep) in our ever-expanding desire to have (nearly) anything we want with a few clicks of our internet-connected devices.  What are we sacrificing to have all this stuff?

Another response to this conjunction-occultation of Uranus in Taurus can be a rebelliousness against this new norm with perhaps a wider perspective of what we are doing and how we can go beyond it.  We have been navigating an assemblage point shift within a larger assemblage point shift.  Uranus has been assisting us in breaking out of our routines and introducing us to emerging and unexpected pathways.

By Daniel Giamario

Quite an important threshold is reached this week in the beautifully unfolding dance of Venus and Mars in the morning sky.  Venus, having risen from the interior underworld earlier this month, is now radiantly brilliant, and still retrograde, until this coming Saturday.  This is the time when it is possible to see Venus during the day!  Mars, now also in the morning sky, is slowly brightening, having emerged from the exterior underworld (other side of the Sun) back on November 22nd.  On Wednesday Venus will enter a 10 degree orb to Mars; they will remain within 10 degrees of each other until April 13th.  There will be two exact conjunctions on February 16th and March 5th.  This morning star apparition of Venus and Mars within 10 degrees is the denouement of the current Rapunzel/Dumuzi saga that is taught by our school.  It’s where the prince and Rapunzel meet up after their time apart, and the “live happily ever after” part.  From a visible perspective it’s when the newly risen Venus first sights Mars, the ten degree orb being the traditional kinesthetic experience of a conjunction.

Now, it’s time to check in on Mercury.  On this past Sunday, at 2:28AM PST, Mercury and the Sun were conjunct at 3Aquarius.  This was the deepest, and most mysterious of Mercury’s alchemical transformation from overtone Libra to Capricorn.  This is the time in the Mercury synod when Mercury is retrograde on the inside track, between the Earth and Sun, which we refer to as the interior underworld.  Today at 7:05PM PST, Mercury enters Capricorn.  The process of transformation to the Capricorn overtone intensifies, until the process completes when Mercury turns direct on February 3rd at 24Capricorn23.  By that time, Mercury will be a visible Morning star planet.  It is noteworthy that this alchemical metamorphosis from Air to Earth, includes this passage through another Air sign—Aquarius, before the complete transformation.  The current Libran overtone, that began October 18, 2021, will have encompassed 108 days by the time that Mercury turns direct.  During this time, Mercury has passed through Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Aquarius.  The Capricorn overtone is, like Libra, a left brain expression of perception, cognition and communication.  However it involves the sensation function, and is far more embodied and practical than Libra.  It tends to be more realistic and overtly rational than the other-oriented, more personal, and more idealistic Libra.

It is noteworthy that soon, Venus, Mars and Mercury will all be easily seen in the morning sky.  And Saturn will join this celestial display by mid-February.  And, remarkably, both the new synodic overtones of Venus and Mercury will be in the sign of Capricorn.

To gain further knowledge about our school’s unique perspective on the synodic cycles of Mercury, Venus and Mars, we have an entire on-line course on this subject: Synodic Cycles Course: Living Wisdom of the Inner Planets

Also, on February 15th, Erik Roth and I will be presenting the next seminar in our continuing exploration of the current Mars cycle.  This time period is indeed, special, with the interweaving of the Venus and Mars cycles. Click HERE to learn more and register