If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget it. This is real astrology. See the section above. 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).
I'm sort of a pessimist about tomorrow,
and an optimist about the day after tomorrow.
-- Eric Sevareid
 

Confusion, illusion, deception: February is a bit foggy-minded at times, if not literally foggy, judging from the string of Neptune aspects woven throughout the fabric of the month. Examples of such opacity will be plentiful within a few days either way of the Sun's alignment with Neptune on the 2nd, and the Mercury-Neptune conjunction on the 15th. In addition to the obscurity factor, there's a suggestion of danger surrounding the Mars-Neptune square on the 24th, which comes just a few days before the Red Planet crosses over the degree of the November 9, 2003 lunar eclipse on the 28th. (Also within days of the new moon on the 20th and the Sun-Uranus conjunction on the 22nd.)

The Mars eclipse crossing and square to Neptune is one of the few strong Mars signals all year, and it makes late February look like a dangerous time. Awful fires, terrible accidents, heinous criminality and the threat of war: that's the kind of thing this suggests. Terrorist atrocities are a distinct possibility late in February, particularly over the last ten days or so. Nowadays, let's face it, things of this sort happen very nearly everyday anyway. So the emphatic Mars action late in February suggests something extraordinarily awful around this time. The one hope? That the plotters suffer a Neptunian reversal: a stupid mistake, a betrayal that foils their evil design.

Another notable celestial theme this month focuses on Saturn, which will be within a single degree of its March 7 station point at 6 Cancer from February 3 onward. This points to some profit-taking in the financial markets, as some kind of confidence-shaking news sends a lot of investors running for cover. While this is most likely around March 5 or 8, it can come anytime from February 3 to April 10. It's good to have a defensive strategy ready in advance. This appears to be a cyclic turning of the tide where the US dollar decline is concerned. Watch the US real estate market: a near dead-calm doldrums appears likely in this sector.

A sharp burst of newsworthy storm and seismic activity is on deck from late on the 1st through late on the 11th. It kicks off as the Moon nears its maximum declination north of the celestial equator on the 3rd, intensifies under the full moon at 17 Leo on the 6th, and then finally eases back down to normal after the southward lunar equatorial crossing on the 10th. Headline-making storms with high winds and heavy precipitation can wreak havoc at times like this. Some of the worst of these will be coastal, accompanied by dangerous wind-driven tidal surges. (The Neptune factor in this full moon suggests that blinding fog, whiteout blizzards and zero-visibility downpours are on tap a few days either way of the 6th.)

This will not be a good time for a cruise (or any other maritime pursuit, e.g. crewing on a tanker or taking a ferry); particularly in the North Atlantic, South Pacific and anywhere near the east coast of Africa. And of course you can bet on a spate of earthquake headlines (Richter 5+) and volcanic eruptions in the news during the February 1-11 geocosmic stress window.

The lunar declination and alignment factors during this period are global in scope, being planetary in scale. So there's no place on Earth beyond the reach of meteorological or seismic catastrophe at times like this. By the same token, we can be sure that all hell won't bust loose planet-wide all at once. The smart move is to be prepared just in case, by having your emergency plans and preparations ready. You know the drill: candles, batteries, flashlights, canned goods, bottled water etc. Most of us won't have to resort to such, but those who do have need will be glad they were prepared. Those most in need, if astro-locality offers any clues to risk zones surrounding the February 6 full moon, might tend to be found in the Pacific Northwest, along the southeastern coast of South America (including Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro), Great Britain, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, the Middle East (centered on a north-south line passing through Tehran); along another north-south line passing through the longitude of Shanghai; and on an arc from southern Japan southeasterly across the eastern end of Australia and southern New Zealand.

After a few days of relative calm on the storm and seismic front, the tides in earth and sea and sky start stirring again early on the 15th, as the Moon nears its maximum declination south of the celestial equator and closest approach to Earth (perigee) on the 16th. This looks like the most dangerous geocosmic risk window of the month. It continues through late on the 24th, building on the momentum of the new moon at 1 Pisces on the 20th (freaky Friday) and the northward lunar equatorial crossing on the 23rd. There's a bit more to this cycle than the usual, but you can count on at least this much: an upsurge in strong storms with high winds and heavy precipitation (and attendant flooding, mudslides, etc.). Add to this a higher than normal run of Richter 5+ earthquakes, plus the potential for some notable volcanic eruptions, and that pretty well paints the picture. The kicker in this case seems to be wicked electrical storms, storms that cause notable disruption to electricity grids, freaky flash floods, and marine or coastal storms that cause dangerous wind-driven tidal surges; also seismic activity on the seabed.

All you can do in the face of Mother Nature's fury is to be prepared. If traveling or expecting someone who is, leave room in the schedule for weather-related delays. Have alternatives for outdoor activities, and have your foul weather gear and emergency kit handy wherever you are. As for the seismic stuff . . . well, if you live in or plan to be in a place subject to such, don't be surprised if the ground isn't all that steady. Of course, most of us - and most places - won't see anything remotely resembling a catastrophe. But we're in a geocosmic cycle that's planetary in scale, and while upheaval won't be universal, it can happen just about anywhere on Planet Earth.

Astro-locality mapping may offer a few hints as to areas of special vulnerability a few days either side of the new moon on the 20th. Hawaii, Alaska and the rest of the Pacific Northwest lie in one potential danger zone, which arcs across Iceland, down through England and western Europe and southeasterly through central Africa and out through Johannesburg. There are several north-south risk zones. One passes through the Horn of Africa northward through the Middle East and east of Moscow. Another runs pole to pole through New York and Singapore. Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia and central Australia fall in another danger arc, while a longitudinal risk zone touches on southern New Zealand. I'm not saying that everybody elsewhere is danger proof where storm and seismic risk is concerned during this period, mind you. Far from it. But these particular regions may be at greatest risk.

From the 25th through the 28th, it's back to normal on the storm and seismic front. Then comes another cycle of elevated risk, beginning on the 29th and carrying over into March, as the Moon reaches maximum north declination on March 1st. As geocosmic risk factors go, this one is relatively slight and almost not worth mentioning. But just in case, keep an eye on the sky and check in on the news (or the weather radio) now and then . . .

Last but not least, there are a number of curious celestial trends coming together late in February and early March, involving alignments of the Sun and Mercury with Jupiter and Uranus. All things high-tech are especially newsworthy now: technical breakthroughs yes, but also infrastructure vulnerabilities (e.g. computer worms, viruses, etc.). Apart from such vulnerabilities, this looks like good news for computer, aerospace, biotech and military equipment manufacturers. Space exploration gets a boost. This is a time for thinking big, seeing far, reaching for the stars.

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