Here is the Ask the Astrologers Weekly Astro Forecast for the week of Feb 17, 2020 – Feb 23, 2020:

This week we have a planet (Mercury) going retrograde, the Sun changing signs and a New Moon in early Pisces. Starting with the Mercury retrograde, it’s official just after midnight UT on Monday (late Friday in the US). We all know that Mercury retrograde means things are likely to go haywire — especially all things related to communications, communications devices and local travel — like automobiles, train and bus schedules and so on.

Communications tend to run amok, plans get turned on their head, communications devices (computers, electronics, cell-phones, etc) and written communications (emails, texts, letters, etc.) get lost or misconstrued. It’s not a good time to sign contracts or legal documents and not a good time to purchase Mercury-ruled items (automobiles, televisions, computers and so on).

Mercury is both in detriment and Fall in Pisces — as the sign opposite Virgo which it both rules and is exalted in. And in this case it’s going to be there for a relatively long time, due to this particular retrograde. It entered Pisces on February 3rd, and it will remain there until April 11th — apart from an 11-day period where it dips back into Aquarius before it turns direct (between March 5th and 16th).

While Mercury is debilitated in Pisces, Mars is dignified (in Capricorn, the sign of its exaltation). But it’s also out of bounds and come Tuesday, it will be conjunct (and occulted by) the Moon, which is in its own detriment in Capricorn. This is like a triple-whammy of disruptive Mars energy: the out of bounds condition and conjunction with the debilitated Capricorn Moon is compounded by the fact that it’s also hidden from view.

The out of bounds Mars can behave a bit like a wild-card; it can be impulsive, erratic and difficult to contain. Put it behind the Moon, and all that normally positive energy associated with its revered placement can be almost obliterated. It can manifest as trust issues, hidden agendas and passive aggressive behavior. This is not going to be the time to confront your enemies or to engage in power struggles with anyone.

The Moon moves into Pisces on Wednesday. This is a time to explore your dreams and your visions, to be more sensitive, compassionate and loving. It’s a gentle, intuitive signature that’s less interested in seeing what you can get out of a situation and more about what you can contribute.

You may be more inclined to form deep emotional connections during this time and to merge with another. You may be more accepting of the difference in people and more apt to set aside your own needs to focus on another’s.

The Pisces Sun tends to be self-effacing, self-sacrificing and altruistic. It’s imaginative and idealistic. It can heighten your intuition and psychic awareness but can also leave you dazed and confused. It’s a good time to look at the boundaries (or lack thereof) that you have in place and think about how you can where you need to be adjustments. It’s time for exploring your visions for the future and taking whatever steps you can to make the world a better place.

On Thursday. Jupiter sextiles Neptune. This transit can lead you down a spiritual path or see you pursuing a higher calling. It’s generous, benevolent and altruistic. This is a time for putting your trust in the Universe and cooperating with the powers that be. It’s good for engaging in creative, spiritual or even magical pursuits and is excellent for offering up your intentions to the Universe, fully trusting that they’ll be fulfilled.

Mars trines Uranus and squares Chiron on the following day (Friday).  The trine to Uranus is a high-energy aspect that can have you feeling like you can succeed in anything you set your sites on. There’s not a lot of forethought there; it’s all action, energy and innovation. It’s moving forward in leaps and bounds, breaking through whatever has held you back in the past and pushing past limitations.

The square to Chiron is a little trickier though. can see you fighting against the urge to put your own needs aside in favor of the “greater good.” While that might seem like a valid endeavor, it can also skew your perceptions and see you fighting for something you may not believe in after all.

Fortunately the Sun gets you back in sync on Saturday, with a sextile to Uranus. These planets rule opposing signs (Leo and Aquarius) so bringing them together in a harmonious aspect can go a long ways toward bridging their naturally competing energy.

Consider that the Sun is tied to your life force, will and self-expression, while Uranus is tied to thinking outside the box. It is associated with being progressive and innovative, as well as broadening your range. This aspect encourages you to march to the beat of your own drum and express your own unique individuality, in ways that inspire rather than shock.

We wind the week down with a Venus / Jupiter square on Sunday. Venus and Jupiter are both debilitated (with Venus in it’s detriment and Jupiter in its fall) but in general this is not a difficult square. If anything it can indicate too much of a good thing. It can see you going above and beyond the call of duty where friends and loved ones are concerned.

It’s an expansive, indulgent energy that can translate to overdoing it, as in overindulging or overextending yourself. You may also overestimate your ability to lend a helping hand. So take a moment to look at promises you’ve already made before you start offering your services to others.

Also Sunday, there’s a New Moon at 4° Pisces. This is a loving, compassionate, creative and highly impressionable Moon. It can increase psychic awareness and make you more susceptible to outside influences.

It’s mystical and ethereal, but can also be incredibly naive. It’s not good at filtering out negative or harmful information, and can therefore be easily deceived.

As New Moons always represent new beginnings and opportunities to start anew, this one — in idealistic Pisces — presents opportunities for us to explore our innermost dreams.

This is a very feminine and rather other-worldly New Moon placement. We can put to good use to this energy by thinking about what is most meaningful, and what we can do to cultivate it during this time.

That’s it for this week. See you next week!

Here is this week’s astro calendar; click on it to view it full-sized.

Weekly Astro Forecast —

Feb 10, 2020 – Feb 16, 2020

By

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This article also appears on the Psychic Scoop website.