This Moon's Quarter: Dreaming True

White Stone (detail) by Nicholas Roerich

Crescent Moon in Pisces
10:35 pm February 2 EST
3:35 am February 3 GMT

Imbolc (astrological)
February 3, 2014
5:03 pm EST / 10:03 pm GMT

First Quarter Moon in Taurus
February 6, 2014
2:22 pm EST / 7:22 pm GMT

Mercury Retrograde in Pisces
February 6, 2014
4:43 pm EST / 9:43 pm GMT

There's so much happening, this First Quarter gets its own post. We're now in the midst of celebrations for the new Chinese Year of the Wood Horse. Tomorrow brings the Crescent Moon, followed by the ancient Celtic festival of Imbolc, the First Quarter Moon, and our first Mercury Rertrograde of 2014 ... what's going on??

As promised, the New Moon in Aquarius awakened a new vision, and we're already getting glimmers of what's coming. What? You thought an Aquarian New Moon would be slow?

Still in the dark of the New Moon time, the Pisces Moon brings strong dreams. Right now, she's traveling with Neptune and Chiron, so be sure you have a notebook or recorder handy. (I use my iPhone.)

Tomorrow night's Crescent Moon, the edgy half-square when we get our first glimmer of our New Moon intentions, finds the Moon in the last, powerful, anaretic degree of Pisces. Poised to jump into a new cycle of Fire, this Moon is widely trine Saturn is mysterious Scorpio. Perhaps tonight's dreams will show us obstacles––along with the magic to work through them.

The next day, the ancient festival of Imbolc arrives. Known as Candelmas in later calendars, Imbolc arrives astrologically when the Sun reaches 15 degrees of Aquarius, the middle of winter. At this deeply quiet, frozen, silent, time, we look for early signs of Spring: snowdrops blooming through snow, the stirring of unborn lambs, the peeking out of a groundhog.

The middle of winter is deepest yin, when yang is potentiated most strongly. We have planted seeds. Now, before we see the first shoots, we feel the seed crack open in the dark earth. Somehow, the growth tip knows how to find the Sun, and heads upward.

And, oh! what a sprouting this will be! The Imbolc Moon sits right with Uranus the trickster revolutionary, igniting Fire that will light our way for the year to come. The goddess and saint associated with Imbolc is Brigid, whose triple skills in smithcraft, healing and poetry are all based in the inspiration of Fire.

The First Quarter Moon grounds us firmly in Earth, as she sits at 17 Taurus, squaring the Sun, opposite Saturn, and trine Venus and Pluto. The First Quarter is the challenge: Are we ready to step into our new vision?

The Moon's pattern is challenging, alright, and thumps us back down in the middle of the New Moon's pattern: This is about reality AND vision, coinciding, working together, becoming real.

No getting lost in the clouds at this First Quarter, it's all about what works from top to bottom, high to low, edge to edge, and every bit in between.

Which is good, because we're about to offered time to think it through: Just a few hours after the First Quarter, Mercury goes retrograde in Pisces.

Mercury is very close to Neptune as he stations, continuing the strong dreaming vibe. Keep those notebooks and recorders handy!

Over the course of the month, Mercury will move back into Aquarian territory, giving us the time to check and double check our plans. Remember, Mercury retrograde is not about making us miserable with constant glitches. It's about taking the time to reflect, review, revisit, retreat (when necessary), revise ... all the "re" words.

These periods are vital for us. We can't go, go, go all the time. Embracing the gifts of Mercury retrograde, taking time for meditation and slowness, will reduce frustration and most likely the number of mishaps as well.

So will backing up your computer and other tech devices. and making allowances for more dreaminess than usual––this is Piscean and Aquarian territory, after all.

This first week of the new lunar cycle is crowded with incident, and then we slow down. Pay attention to what's coming up for you now. This is a time of thinking and feeling, mind and body, the vision and the manifestation. Noticing where things don't fit will alert us to where those new shoots will soon be breaking through.

This Full Moon coming up is in passionate Leo, and falls on Valentine's Day. Can't wait to tell you more about that one ...