February is that held breath between the Winter and Spring where we aren’t quite sure about what it is that we should be doing. We’ve spent the Winter going within, taking stock of our inner worlds, and our plans for the Spring are made. But it isn’t time to put them into practice yet. Fortunately, we have Valentine’s Day to distract ourselves.
February is the second month of the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and is named after the Latin februum, meaning purification. This is a great time of year to get a head start on Spring cleaning so that we can hit the ground running when it’s time to plant our seeds.
We’re seeing daffodils already, and there are a few cardinals flitting about. I’ve seen starlings getting ready to migrate back to their Summer grounds, and the geese are as boisterous as ever. Otherwise, we’re still in that quiet waiting time of year where things are grey and brown and dormant.
Birthstones: Amethyst
Lunations:
February 9 2:34am EST Full Moon (Leo)
Febraury 23 10:33am EST New Moon (Pisces)
Astronomy:
February 17- Mercury goes retrograde
Celtic Tree Month:
Rowan (Jan 21st- Feb 17th): Protection, inspiration, vision, clearing the mind for meditation, attunes us to nature, broadens perspectives, protects from harm on a journey, brings spiritual enlightenment, hidden mysteries of nature and quickening of life force
Ash (Feb 18th- Mar 17th): Mastership and power, psychic/prophetic dreams, strength, harmony, being in tune with your surroundings, heals loneliness of human spirit by forming a link between gods, man, and the dead, key to universal truth and cosmic wisdom, tree of initiation.
Holidays (mundane):
February 2: Groundhog Day
February 2: Super Bowl
February 14: Valentine’s Day
February 17: President’s Day
Holidays (Pagan):
February 1: Imbolc
Themes for the month: Imbolc, cleansing, purification, rest, planning, love, waiting for Spring.
General activities for the month: Buying seeds, tilling the soil, hardscaping the garden, early Spring cleaning, celebrating love at Valentine’s Day, writing, reading, cozying up next to the fire.
Herbs I’m using: Sage (for purification), lemongrass (in my tea to uplift my mood), tea (all kinds, I’ve actually been using up some of my huge stash)
Stones I’m using: Amphibole quartz (not for any particular use, I’m just drawn to it), rose quartz (stone of love and gentle self-care), selenite (for purification and cleansing)
Goddess of the Month: Hecate. I find this funny, because she’s my matron at all times, but I could always stand to deepen my relationship with her. I work with her as Goddess of magick, ancestors, and The Underworld.
3 card reading:
First, we have The Fool reversed. So we aren’t taking any big chances this month. This is a time to stay put, keep making plans, and wait until the time is right to jump off that cliff. It may seem boring, but sometimes we really just need to hold ourselves back and make sure the time is right.
Next, we see Strength reversed. This suggests that we still have some inner work to do before we start up for the Springtime anyways. We need to learn to trust ourselves and know that we can accomplish what we need to. So this feeds back into the Fool reversed, where the Winter isn’t quite over yet, and we still have some things to work on in the introverted cold months.
Finally, we have The Wheel. So things are going to be flipping on their heads for us, and we need to watch out for that. If things have been going great, they may not go so great anymore, or if things have been going terrible, they may start going really good. I hope this is a positive change for all of us!
We also have 3 Major Arcana cards this month, so these are major influences, not to be ignored. They will have big impacts on our lives.
The special guidance card is Pyrite. This card is about manifestation and abundance, and taking one grounded step at a time to achieve that abundance. So this just agrees with the previous cards that are telling us to take it easy and make sure we’ve planned out our path. We should also take this time to express gratitude for the things that we have, as that is the basis for all good things coming into our future.
Joy of my life, full oft for loving you
By Edmund Spenser
Joy of my life, full oft for loving you
I bless my lot, that was so lucky placed:
But then the more your own mishap I rue,
That are so much by so mean love embased.
For had the equal heavens so much you graced
In this as in the rest, ye might invent
Some heavenly wit, whose verse could have enchased
Your glorious name in golden monument.
But since ye deign’d so goodly to relent
To me your thrall, in whom is little worth,
That little that I am shall all be spent
In setting your immortal praises forth;
Whose lofty argument uplifting me
Shall lift you up unto an high degree.
My personal tides and goals: I’ve just started a new job, and it’s working out so far. The schedule is flexible, so I can take time if I’m having a bad day, and I can work in the middle of the night if I’m dealing with insomnia. It’s my new beginning, and I’m trying to face it with excitement rather than fear. It leaves me less time for tarot and writing here, but that will balance out with time. I’ve been less spiritually connected because of the training, but spirituality ebbs and flows for me anyways. It will come back when I’m ready!
I’ve also been reading about Druidry, and I’m finding a lot of value there for my practice. I think in some ways, I’ve had a very Druid mindset without knowing that’s what it is. Yay for learning new things!