If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget about it. This is real astrology for the real world, not some mystical mumbo-jumbo psycho-babble word salad. If it's real astrology for yourself that you want, you can get it by phone or in print. And if you need help deciphering the astrological glyphs in the graphics accompanying this article, see Astroglyphs: Astrological Symbols Guide. Please note: this forecast is expressed in terms of Universal Time (UT, aka GMT). Location for all mundane charts is set for the Great Pyramid at Giza; the choice being strictly arbitrary in any case. Also please be aware that, while I never change a forecast once it's published, I do post errata to acknowledge typographical errors and the like.

PLEASE NOTE: This month’s forecast incorporates elements of (and refers to) my complete 2018 World Forecast Highlights (41 8-1/2 x 11" illustrated pages); focused, amplified and elaborated with details for the month as appropriate. The full version of my 2018 World Forecast Highlights is available in hard copy by mail ($75) or as a PDF document by email ($50). Orders may be phoned in toll-free anywhere in North America to 800-527-8761, and charged to any major credit or debit card. Orders may also be placed direct from your own PayPal account page to rnolle@astropro.com – or by using the AstroPro PayPal order page.

"Today will die tomorrow."
-- Algernon Charles Swinburne
 

The Skinny

Earth and Sun align at the so-called Gates of Avataric Descent on the 3rd, occupying the quadrant midpoints between the solstice/equinox axes: time stands still for a moment, and hangs in the balance. The partial solar eclipse at 27° Aquarius on the 15th anchors the major geophysical stress window of the month – but it’s more than that, with significant geopolitical implications. The Mars-Neptune square on the 17th is a sign of deceit – a sneak attack of sorts, a scam. The 22nd is a lotus-eater’s delight, with Venus conjunct Neptune. Venus and Mars are alright tonight on the 25th – the heart beats faster, and it wants what it wants. These are the major celestial triggers for February, as I see it. Being overwhelmed with client calls and orders, I don’t have time to detail them all here. But for now, here’s the skinny.

Groundhog Day/Candlemas/Imbolc

The midpoints of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) have been recognized as key points in the local (Earth-Sun) system for millennia. The first of these this calendar year falls on February 3 at 21:28:34 Universal Time, when the Sun reaches 15° 00’ Aquarius. Astronomical precision aside, this key point in the cosmic cycle is commemorated on February 2 in the common Gregorian calendar, as Groundhog Day; aka Candlemas in the Christian calendar and Imbolc in the Pagan calendar. But don’t be misled. February 2 is only an approximation. The actual time and date must be calculated for each year. (It falls on February 4 next year, for example. And it hasn’t landed on February 2 yet in the 21st Century.)

These cross-quarter points are the shift between seasons; the point of balance between the previous solstice or equinox and the next. Imbolc is the shift from winter (the winter solstice) to spring (the vernal equinox) in the northern hemisphere; between summer solstice and autumnal equinox in the southern hemisphere. Think full-on winter in the north (full-on summer in the south), at the turning point headed into spring (in the north, summer in the south), This is, in short, the point of maximum momentum beginning to subside.(From here on out, I’ll keep to a northern hemisphere perspective, and count on you to handle conversions for the southern hemisphere.)

The subsiding in this case is peculiar, because Imbolc is neatly sandwiched between the January 31 SuperMoon total lunar eclipse at 11° 37’ Aquarius-Leo and the February 15 partial solar eclipse at 27° 07’ Aquarius – marking this two week period as central to unfolding of the whole winter. Pay attention: the degrees just mentioned are crucial markers of destiny now, in so many ways.

For one thing, huge winter storms are on tap during this period – in the skies and seas, in the crust of our home planet. (More on this in a moment, focusing on the solar eclipse shock period.) This was already set to be a harsh winter, beginning as it did with Saturn at the solstice point. But this also applies to the affairs of humanity – not just the pulse of the planet’s natural cycles.

Notice, for example, that the February 15 solar eclipse falls right on the horizon in the birth certificate timed natal horoscope of President Trump – opposing his natal Mars. In my August forecast last year – and again in the full version of my 2018 World Forecast Highlights – I described how the President’s chart has been besieged since the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse on his natal Mars. Likewise, the SuperMoon total lunar eclipse last month hit his natal Pluto, and this month’s solar eclipse hits his horizon (opposing his Mars) once again. And now, Imbolt is also conjunct his natal Pluto.

Mars lands you in hot water. Pluto puts you in the ground. This month is key in the unfoldment of that scenario for the President, the outcome of which is that he doesn’t finish his term in office. I’ve already mentioned this in the full version of my 2018 World Forecast Highlights. Barring an unfortunate medical crisis, it won’t be a quick process. But it looks inevitable – possibly this year, but more likely 2019.

Moon Tides and Storm Warnings

The January SuperMoon lunar eclipse shock window extends from January 28 into February 5 (extended a bit by the Moon’s southward crossing of the celestial equator on February 3). This is an exceptionally potent SuperMoon, since it includes the extra alignment factor of a total lunar eclipse, plus the Moon’s peak declination north of the celestial equator on the 29th.

Any SuperMoon (let alone a SuperMoon eclipse) brings with it an increased amplitude of the celestial tides pulling through Earth’s atmosphere, crust and seas. An increase in strong storms with heavy precipitation comes with this, as well as extreme coastal tides and a surge in the number and intensity of seismic events (M 5+ earthquakes and powerful volcanic eruptions). You’ll be seeing news of this sort making headlines during those first few days of the month.

Checking the astro-locality map for the January 31 SuperMoon lunar eclipse features a Sun-Moon-Venus meridian line stretching southward from Kamchatka down through the South Pacific and on to New Zealand, emerging on the other side of the world to cross over Iceland and westernmost Africa. The horizon arcs for this same three-planet SuperMoon configuration sweeps across easternmost Australia and westernmost Africa. Notice the focus on West Africa and Australia/New Zealand? This is a planet-wide phenomenon of course, but pay attention to the target zones mentioned above.

Moon Shadow Show

Eclipses are much like SuperMoons in terms of their connection with storms and seismicity, but they tend to rank a little lower in magnitude. Don’t expect an eclipse to herald the kind of extreme tidal surges so typical of a SuperMoon, for example. But there remains a notable historical connection between eclipses and strong storms, extreme tides, and newsworthy seismicity, including moderate to severe (Magnitude 5 and up) earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

My own rule of thumb for eclipses, based on decades of observation, is that solar eclipses have a geophysical shock window that extends a week either side of the exact date, while lunar eclipses are effective within a plus or minus three day window. If the seven day-either way window for solar eclipses seems extravagant, consider that it represents an orb of only seven degrees for the Sun; and that solar eclipses can happen with the Sun within as much as 18 degrees either side of the lunar nodes. (The nodal limit is smaller for lunar eclipses.) I'll not presume to proselytize, but I would point out that eclipses, as syzygies, represent a pronounced ripple in the local system's space-time continuum; which ripple radiates in all directions from the exact moment of the event. How far that ripple is noticeable may be arguable, and I'm not the argumentative type.

As for the February 15 partial solar eclipse at 27°07’ Aquarius – with its corresponding February 8-22 shock window - the Moon’s shadow only crosses over the extreme southern hemisphere; so in this case, astro-locality mapping is the only tool available for narrowing the planet-wide scope of this alignment. The Pacific Coast of the US and Canada fall under the key Sun-Moon-Mercury meridian, which also passes over the Middle East and Eastern Europe; Siberia, China, Korea, Japan, the Philippines and Australia fall under a Jupiter meridian, which kisses the east coast of Canada in between slicing across Greenland and bisecting Brazil. Added to these is a tangled web of curving horizon arcs, mostly emphasizing the same areas.

Geophysical stresses aside, check your chart for significant emphasis in the vicinity of 27° in the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius): these are the stress points for the February 15 eclipse. (For example, see Donald Trump’s chart, which has Mars at the ascendant at this degree: hostility, danger, a struggle for power – maybe even for survival. In this regard, the emphasis on Korea is foreboding, given that the President was born with Mars rising, under a Mars line that connects Washington DC and Pyongyang. Conflict? Yes. War? Not yet. After all, this year's Mars Max doesn't begin until next month. And it pales in comparison to the next one (in 2020).

Acknowledgments

All mundane astrological charts as well as eclipse and astro-locality maps are set for the Universal Time (UT) of the event, and calculated and produced using Esoteric Technologies’ Solar Fire Gold Version 7.0.8. Charts are set for the location of the Great Pyramid - a purely arbitrary choice, since location is irrelevant to these charts. Unless sotherwise noted, sky map images are screen captures from the Pocket Universe or Star Rover apps for iPhone, or produced by Starry Night for Windows; storm tracks are screen captures from The Weather Channel app for iPhone; and earthquake maps are screen captures from the QuakeFeed, QuakeWatch or QuakeZone apps for iPhone. Any market images are screen captures from the default iPhone Stocks app, unless otherwise noted. Weather images and storm tracks are screen captures from the Weather Channel app for iPhone.

SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)

Richard Nolle, Certified Professional Astrologer consultations/orders (AmEx/Discover/MasterCard/Visa) 800-527-8761 data/message 480-753-6261 - email rnolle@astropro.com Box 26599 - Tempe, AZ 85285-6599 - USA www.astropro.com