Otherwise, the month of February is awfully darn Piscean. Pisces represents your solar sign of groups and hanging out with other people. Not the month to go solo in any of your activities. The new moon in Pisces occurs on the 21st –a good time to meet people or attend any activity that involves a crowd. I should warn you that Neptune in Pisces this month has a rather expansive view of your social life–its idea of a good development would be for you to meet all the people in the entire world. If that seems a bit overwhelming to you, you’ll need to set your own boundaries, because Neptune won’t.

For those of you seeking a new place to live, there’s a full moon in Leo on the 7th that could bring your search to a successful conclusion. Don’t delay your efforts on this front.

For the career minded, there’s a bit of Aquarian career energy left for you, through the 18th. Long-term changes are afoot in your career, though, in the sense that Neptune, which has been in your solar career house for about 14 years, finally leaves on the 3rd. Things that have been undefined for a long, long time could get more defined. The structure of your employer could change–to become more structured. An example would be when a merger takes place and the smaller company has to adapt to the bureaucracy of the larger one. All of a sudden, there’s someone to count the paper clips. This energy actually previewed itself during April through July of last year, so you should have some idea what the new regime will be like.

Venus moves into Aries on the 8th. You may learn about a behind the scenes supporter you didn’t know you had. Finally, your Valentine’s Day looks to be either spent with friends or rather pragmatic–as in let’s just stay home and watch basketball on TV rather than trying to go out on a weeknight.

The other main theme of the month (and the year) is quite different in character. Planets cluster in Capricorn this month, as they usually do at the beginning of the year, crowding your solar house of preparation. Saturn meanwhile is busy gathering information about your job or health so that he can go back to obsessively re-assessing your status in these matters. Uranus in Aries is trying to reorganize your psyche behind the scenes. As we used to say in Texas, you’ve got a whole lot of planets ‘fixin’ to’ do something or ‘getting ready’ to do something, but they’re not in the mood to actually do anything.

You may have noticed this in your life over the past year or two, because this trend has been in play for awhile. It’s a bit highlighted this month because it’s Capricorn month, but ‘getting ready’ energy has been there for awhile. You can rejoice and embrace this because it means you don’t really have to change anything major in your life (and your Taurus sun isn’t really fond of having to change things)–or you can worry that you’re bored and it means there’s something wrong. There isn’t, so don’t worry.

If you absolutely cannot stand preparation mode, you can alternatively use Capricorn energy to go somewhere–even overseas if you can swing it. As long as you get back by the end of the month, the planets will support you. If you’re a more philosophical type, you can use the Capricorn energy in a different way–as part of a search for the truth in your life or even The Truth about life in general. Mercury will be happy to cogitate with you about these matters from the 8th to the 27th. Even if you’re not a philosophical type, the truth theme will still be in play in the background. Pluto, the most truthful of all planets, is examining you and your life closely, trying to figure out what’s actually real.

Pluto likes facts not dreams. His idea of preparation for you involves slowly but surely stripping you of illusions so that your ideas and plans are made from solid, durable materials. Your sun likes that; it doesn’t like fake stuff any more than Pluto does. If you want to be super new-years-y and organized, a great thing to do would be to sit down and take stock of the facts of your life–what you’ve got, so that you can build from there.

You’ve also got a career new moon this month, on the 23rd. This is the moment when you can distinguish yourself from the pack, make yourself stand out as a leader, or just show off.

I’m not saying the universe is handing you financial peace of mind right now, but I am saying it’s trying to set you up on some sort of a path for the future. You do have Jupiter in your own sign for another 6 months or so, and that is typically financially protective. There may be disturbances in the financial force field around you, but you personally should come out all right no matter how things look at first.

As for the love energy–you’re in the beginning stages of an incredible run of love-related energy, courtesy of Mars in Virgo. This is energy good for new relationships and romances, for getting the spark started and blowing it into actual flames of desire. This energy is very supportive of your sign and can give you the oomph to pursue your own personal happiness.

If you’re already in a relationship, well you’ve got some desire energy this month too. Sagittarius is your solar sign of sexual desire and it is activated this month via the sun until the 22nd and via Mercury all month long. Admittedly, Mercury is retrograde for the first 12 days of the month, so there may be some difficulties in communication in existing relationships.

Meanwhile, if you want to get out of town, your travel sign of Capricorn is activated all month, with travel at its most pleasant during the first 3 weeks of December, but still plenty do-able after that. Your annual winter travel new moon is on December 24 this year.

After the 20th, Venus in your visibility sign of Aquarius indicates that your supervisors and colleagues either love you or truly appreciate what you have to offer. This is the perfect time to ask for what you need in your professional life, as you are more likely than normal to get it.

If you are already in a relationship, the eclipse may merely represent a new chapter in it, a sort of rebirth if you will. Furthermore, after the eclipse, Venus moves into earthy Capricorn in your communication house, leading to the possibility of frank and earthy conversations or even sexting! Not guaranteed of course, but it’s a possibility. In short it’s an excellent month for relationships and for the physical side of relationships.

The full moon in your own sign on the 10th may bring things to a head, opening the way for new energy at the eclipse. The idea is to get closer to someone in November, and traveling together may help that cause because Sagittarius likes travel. And I haven’t even mentioned yet that Mars is moving into Virgo, also on the 10th. Virgo represents your love life sector and Mars is moving in for a staggeringly long stay of 7 1/2 months!

You are literally surrounded (okay, not literally, metaphorically) surrounded by powerful relationship energy this month. Go for it!

The only potentially problematic area in your chart is your job. Saturn, Mr. Problem Planet, will be traversing your job sector for another year, and in November he moves deeper into the sign of Libra bringing new matters to light. Neptune stationing and then finally going direct in your career house may actually help improve things. There’s also still plenty of life and activity in your home sector during the first 10 days of the month that you can use to get things done around the house. Finally, Uranus in your solar 12th house is preparing to station next month, so he may be stirring up feelings when you would ordinarily be trying to rest. November is not exactly a quiet month astrologically, but for Taurus, it’s not a bad one at all.

For example, there’s a lot of energy in your job sector this month. Is your job paying you as much as you need? Is it set up in way that supports you, supports your harmony and material as well as spiritual growth? If you’re not being paid enough for what you do, you might want to seek a raise or make some changes to correct that situation.

You could engage in other activities, such as feng shui, that support the free flow of material resources and promote a more harmonious environment. You could take inventory of your stuff and clear out anything that might be blocking your energy. With the sun, Mercury, and Venus all moving into Scorpio this month (the energy starts on the 9th), you could also take stock of your resources. And I don’t just mean your tangible resources, I mean your relationship resources. Throughout October, other people are likely to be willing to support you in all kinds of ways.

Consider what that means to you. I’m sure you can think of other ways to focus on  material abundance in your life while balancing that and harmonizing that with relationship abundance. Use your instincts to guide yourself toward a more prosperous and comfortable path.

Venus in Virgo is pickier in her choice of lovers than some other Venus placements, but don’t let that stop you from getting out there and keeping your eyes open for someone to be attracted to. You never know where Venus will find someone to catch her discerning eye. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, and Mercury loves writing, reading, and conversations. He also loves your cell phone.

As it so happens, Mars, the planet of desire, will also be in the Mercury-ruled 3rd house in your solar chart during the first half of the month. For a time, Mars will love these things too. If you are in the market to meet someone new, don’t overlook striking up a conversation around wordy, intellectual things, complimenting someone’s written work, or following up on an encounter with a friendly text. Love via cell phone may seem a bit cold for your earthy nature–but it’s the modern world and if it works, it works.

If you aren’t in the market to meet someone new and don’t much care about your love life, all the Virgo energy is still good news. That’s because Virgo represents your solar 5th house of pleasure. Virtually anything you care to do for the sheer fun of it is favored during the first half of September.

During the second half of the month, Venus turns her attention to your workplace. Here she can often be seen smoothing over relations with co-workers. Finally, Mars will enter Leo and your domestic life sector on the 18th. So the second half of the month is more about work and home. Get your fun stuff in early!

But…I can tell you from experience that when Jupiter is cooking in your chart, it can flow through your life as a delicious feeling of contentment. Have faith that you are secure and you will be; that’s what the astrology basically boils down to. Resolve to make August a playful, peaceful month and to avoid any potholes of drama that may open up.

The sun, Venus, and Mercury traverse your solar sector of home life this month, making things there nice indeed. People in your home space are slotted to be more agreeable than usual in August–at least until the 21st. Then Venus and the sun start moving over to the part of your solar chart that represents your love life–making life even better if that’s possible. To take advantage of the good vibes, try to stick close to home at least until the very last week of the month. Mars in Cancer doesn’t feeling like taking any long trips and could well get very grumpy if you try to anyway.

From the 26th on, planets in Virgo align with Pluto to make the prospect of long-distance travel more appealing. While you’re at home, you can use Venus and the sun to do some gentle fixing up or beautifying of your living space. Move the furniture; get things exactly the way you like them right now. That should make you feel good.

You might also want to make a note of the days around the 30th of August. On the 30th, your ruler Venus makes a very nice trine to Jupiter in your sign. You can use this trine simply to schedule a nice date with your honey or a special night with your kids. But you can also you use it for other things.

Jupiter in your sign encourages exploration of the principles you use to guide your life. Venus puts you in touch with your values and your feelings. You can align the two around this time, starting with the new moon in Virgo on the 28th. What do you value? What truly gives you deep, soulful pleasure? Are you guiding your life in the direction your soul prefers? You should be able to feel the answers to these questions around the 30th. If none of that appeals, this is also a good time for creative self-expression, for being craftsy, for making stuff out of the materials you have on hand.

Jupiter also stations this month on the 30th before going retrograde. A planet is usually particularly strong around the time that it stations. Jupiter in your sign also focuses a spotlight on your possessions and resources (of all kinds, spiritual and mental as well tangible). The second half of August would be a good time to take stock of what you have, as opposed to thinking about what you don’t have! Jupiter in your own sign is also about personal growth; it brings many gifts.

The little bit of sharpness in the month comes from Mars in Cancer in the part of your chart that deals with neighbors and nearby relatives. The days around the 18th are good for making peace with these folks if peace needs to be made.

No need to be unduly alarmed. Reassure yourself and others that these sensations are just feelings that Uranus is chewing over, not indications of frightening resentment or self-destructive impulses for danger. Uranus is just exploring unfamiliar parts of your psyche, not giving you a command to be reckless. It’s all cool; no need to jump off any boats.

It’s not a bad idea to keep a journal or a dream log during this period; it could help Uranus connect the dots so that you get the self-understanding that Uranus is ultimately going for. Uranus doesn’t like ‘musts,’ ‘shoulds,’ or anything else that unduly restricts your freedom. He can be like the two-year-old of planets, instinctively saying ‘No!’ whenever told to do something. So you might explore whether or not anything in your life is subconsciously chafing right now, even though awhile ago it was just fine.

Uranus is also the opposite of possessive–so sometimes it requires a bit of work to realize that he might want you to set someone else in your circle free. Self-help books can be a good investment when you have a long 12th house transit, as Taurus does for right now.

On a lighter note, Mars is in Gemini and your solar 2nd house of spending money. Gemini is a natural flirt, so you may find this a month when you are laying down the bucks to strike sparks with a special someone. Happy Jupiter is also in your sign and would probably approve of any fun expenditures you have in mind. Jupiter and Mars can also be creative forces, encouraging craft-y endeavors and creative projects. If neither of those fits, treat yourself to whatever pleases you. If you really can’t afford a splurge, at least go window shopping.

You can also use the energy to set financial goals for the next couple of years; that’s about how long it takes for a Mars cycle to play out. Mars is a confidence builder; you can use him to pump up your financial attitude.

There’s also a solar eclipse in Cancer this month, on the 1st. This is the last of a series in your solar 3rd house and it fits right in with Mars and Jupiter. If this eclipse affects you, it is likely to require you to make some sort of a mental effort (or maybe a physical effort) to master some concept, skill, or information you’ll need in your life going forward. Both Mars and Jupiter this month love that sort of thing; they love to learn stuff, whether it be how to make something, fix something, or understand something. Because Cancer is a family-oriented sign, you may start a new endeavor with a family member at this time.

Toward the end of the month, the emphasis on family picks up in a new way. The sun, Mercury, Venus, and a new moon on the 30th will be in the sign of Leo. Leo represents your domestic life in your solar chart. When the sun and new moon are in Leo, they mark the annual dog days of summer when family desires may conflict with your own. Keep the lines of communication with family members open and strong this month; talk things out. Venus should soothe any conflicts that arise when she enters Leo on the 28th.

Not much emphasis on partners or your love life right now, but Mercury does move into your solar 5th house of love and fun on the 28th, so things may seem a bit more romantic then. Finally, Saturn starts moving forward at a reasonable speed in your solar 6th house of work and health, so things may start picking up on those fronts.

This equation changes under Jupiter’s influence, and it’ll catch your partner off guard unless you update him or her on your evolving personal reality. It may seem impolite to tell a partner, ‘hey I gotta get out and breathe a little,’ especially since Taurus often doesn’t like hearing that kind of news from others. But…if you catch things early, your partner is likely to consent to larger horizons for you without too much drama. That should probably be your first priority this month, to head off trouble before it starts.

This is especially true because another freedom seeking planet (Uranus in Aries)  is rumbling around in your sector of subconscious motivations, just waiting to explode if it doesn’t get its independence-loving way. It’s triply true for June because Mars, another independence-craving influence, is still in your sign until the 2oth. Mars just wants you to set things up so that everybody gets their fair share in the relationship and so that it’s all sorted out who contributes and receives what. If things are unfair, Mars gets all mad until they get more fair; that can lead to unexpected conflicts unless you know what’s going on in your chart. This dynamic applies to group situations as well as one-on-one relationships by the way. When Mars moves into Gemini, the focus shifts a bit to stuff you are required to do for work or school assignments, for productivity.

June is also eclipse month. There’s a solar eclipse in Gemini on June 1 and a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on June 15. The most typical manifestation of these types of eclipses are gains and losses with regard to money. For example, you could earn more through a change in your salary status. Guard your valuables as thefts are possible during this type of eclipse series. Occasionally, the lunar eclipse may also relate to letting go of a bad habit you’ve wanted to change for a long time.

It’s been a tough call; the odds seem about even either way. Still, you gotta choose, especially if the issue in contention has to do with perhaps bringing your secrets to light or with something that’s been bringing you chronic stress. Strike first or suss out the situation first? Here’s a hint as to the outcome: pick your battle carefully and then go ahead and engage in combat.

With Uranus in Aries for the next 7 years, one way or another, you are going to be called upon to learn how to fight for yourself effectively, even when you don’t feel like it. It’s not going to help to be in denial.

Now on to the cheerier stuff: love! From the 9th through the 16th, Mercury runs around meeting up with Jupiter and Venus, and both Mercury and Venus move from Aries into your sign. This is good for romantic love and it’s good for plain old love for anyone you like in your life. It’s a great month to dig through your memory bank for people you’ve always had affection for and get in contact with them.

As for the Taurus solar year ahead, there’s some good news. Jupiter enters your sign next month and hangs out for a year to keep you company and brighten your spirits and perhaps your financial situation. On the not so good side, it’s still a rather explosive and argumentative year. Not quite as volatile as the first 5 months have been, but still a bit out there. There’s energy in your sector of hidden enemies, which doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be popping out of the woodwork. It does mean, probably, that your perception of a situation and other people’s perception of it do not quite sync up. To add a slightly surreal but good twist to things, Neptune will leave Aquarius for good before the year is out and he may leave a gift on your doorstep as he goes.

An appropriate Neptunian gift would be some sort of honor, award, or recognition relating to your career or work, one that you never thought would happen, but that is more than super-peachy.

It may all be a bit hard to sort out, especially as Mercury spends until the 23rd going backwards. That wouldn’t be so bad, but Mercury is traveling through the part of your chart that already has a slippery grasp on what’s actually real and what’s just inside your own head. ‘Now, now, now!’ the Aries planets will shout (especially Mars), even when they don’t know exactly what they or you want.

It’s like you’re being forced to feel like taking action when you really probably shouldn’t right yet. Things will get better, especially when Mars moves into your own sign after the 10th of next month. You can, however, use Jupiter’s influence in Aries to plot your course for the future, which may pick up considerably especially on the financial front when Jupiter enters Taurus in June. You can also look for the hidden gold in any troubles you may have, because this is one of the metaphysical meanings of having powerful planets in your solar 12th house.

On the good side, the sun enters your sign on the 20th. Neptune also enters Pisces on the 4th. At that time, you’ll see an increased emphasis on your friends and friendships.

With Mercury in this sign until mid-May thanks to retrogrades, you could also find various relatives giving you trouble as they bounce back and forth from driving you crazy to not driving you crazy and back again. Jupiter in the 12th meanwhile isn’t doing much; the 12th is where he goes to hide out and chill. But Uranus in Aries–whole different story. Uranus in Aries in the 12th house is the symbol of a brave spirit bursting forth or spiritual action taking hold. Victory through spirit.

Uranus is the one you need to listen to, not only because he’s the loudest, but because he’s the most effective. You can spend the first couple of weeks hanging out, trying to figure out what a brave spirit would look like in your life. Then you can spend the rest of the month behaving as if you have a brave spirit, even if you’re pretty sure you don’t. Cuz it turns out that when Uranus gives you some support, you sure do. So feel free to walk around all month muttering to yourself “I have a brave spirit; I have a brave spirit.” And then watch what happens. Could be a lot more than you expect.

If you want to be super-astrologically correct, you could pick two things and focus them on your career. That’s because Mars, the ruler of Aries, is busy until February 22 energizing your career sector. Mars loves it when you do scary things, because Mars loves to exercise courage. Make him happy by being bold at work.

An easy time to do this would be during the first week when there’s beaucoup career energy for you to work with. On the 2nd there’s your career new moon. On the third, Mercury enters your career sector. On the 4th, Mars and the sun meet in your career sector. On the 5th, there’s an opportunity angle between Jupiter and Mercury in your career sector. You get the picture. There’s a lot going on in your career sector.

After the 22nd, you can make Mars happy again by setting some dangerously courageous goals because Mars will be in your house of….goals. The basic idea is to go toward what you normally avoid or to face what you normally like to ignore.

The eclipse should bring you some sort of a fresh start in the area of education or travel; that’s if the eclipse affects you at all. Jupiter and Uranus–well, Jupiter in this spot in your chart often works to increase the number or extent of your surface contacts, acquaintances, etc. Uranus–well, who knows. It generally adds an explosive component to the configuration. They’re both in Pisces, the sign of the ocean. Put them all together and it would certainly make for an interesting time to take a cruise. You’d have an adventure, meet a lot of people, and get some sort of a fresh start. If you can’t get on a ship, then a group adventure of the mind would work well with the energy too. These influences are strongest during the first 10 days of the month.

I don’t want to oversell this. The sun will remain in conservative Capricorn until the 20th; this is not a configuration that is necessarily destined to change you in some noticeable or permanent way. Capricorn and Pisces are both compatible signs with yours; any transitions are likely to be smooth.

As for a sneak peek at the year ahead–the signs in play are Pisces, Aries and your own. Neptune will move into Pisces in April; Uranus will move into Aries in March, and Jupiter actually moves into Aries on the 22nd of this month. Jupiter moves into your sign in June, bringing hopefully a nice lilt to the second half of the year. Neither Neptune nor Uranus will really take direct aim at your sign in 2011. Conditions and aspects will vary over the course of the year, as they always do, but for most of you it will be a pretty normal year.