The February 2022 Full Moon shines on the night of February 16th and falls late in the sign of Leo, which means it crosses into Virgo a few hours into this lunation. It’s called the Snow Moon – though as I’m writing this, the weather outside is mild, windy and wild. Spring seems to be around the corner in my neck of the woods – though I recall that last year winter made a serious last stand before it was done.
The name ‘Snow Moon’, of course, comes from a colder place than the place where I live. The Moon names come from North America and the Snow Moon was so called because February was traditionally a month of great snow fall- a reminder of the power of nature. Tonight, the Moon will reflect the Sun’s light onto some of the places that were previously hidden by the darkness of night. That’s metaphorical of course, but it’s worth reminding ourselves that the Full Moon brings things to a head.
To understand how it will do so this month, I’m going to open this lunation report with a look at the meanings we associate with the Full Moon in Leo, followed by an analysis of the Full Moon’s chart.
February 2022 Full Moon in Leo: What does it mean?
One thing to remember is that the February 2022 Full Moon (and all February Full Moons for that matter) falls in the sign we associate with the Sun. Leo is the sign of sunlight so this is a lunation that really brings together the symbiosis of the Sun and Moon and all that the combination of those two heavenly bodies bring to mind. Masculine and feminine. Light and darkness. Conscious and unconscious.
You could write a long list of associated paired words but we also need to look at the things we associate with the sign of Leo. It’s the sign traditionally associated with royalty; actual kings and queens may be in short supply but I’m sure we all know (or know of) people who act as if they were born to rule. There are issues of pride – both good and bad – associated with Leo. To be proud of your achievements ins one thing – but pride also comes before a fall. When we think of Leo, and it’s also the sign where drama is never in short supply.
But wait a moment. Leo is also a sign of great creativity. Warmth, fun, vitality, laughter and joy are never far away when Leo is in town. In the midst of winter, Leo’s heat is a reminder of better times to come – even if we only get a hint of its promise as the light is reflected from the Full Moon. So, on one hand, the light is being directed towards new life, new possibilities, a renewal of the spark that seems to have been so extinguished over the recent past – but there is also a hint of something else…
February 2022 Full Moon: The Chart
The Chart for the February 2022 Full Moon seems at first glance a simple one; the Moon has only one aspect outside of its opposition from the Sun – and that’s a quincunx to Pluto. However, when we dig deeper, there are a couple of things we need to take into account. First, the ‘background noise’ in which this lunation takes place, and second the aspects that involve the lunation as a whole. I’ll be dealing with the latter under a separate heading, but first – the background noise.
As you can see from the chart, this involves the current stories in the skies – in particular the Venus-Mars conjunction that will be playing out in Capricorn and Aquarius until April. I have already written about that in an earlier post but – even though it doesn’t contact this lunation directly or otherwise – it’s a transiting aspect that really sets the tone for the February 2022 Full Moon. You can regard this conjunction as romantic or intense – it’s usually both by the way as it involves those staples of harmony and discord in equal amounts.
With its contacts to Saturn and Uranus, it also implies that there are relational or financial matters (or both together) that are perhaps shocking, sudden, surprising or plain irritating. They are the kinds of issues that often need the insight of a neighbour or an impartial advisor to find an agreeable solution to something that’s been taking far too long to settle. Once that happens, things usually work out for the best.
So, that’s the background – and if you have a chart with major planets or points affected by those themes (and I’m looking at those of you with placements in mid-Capricorn, Taurus and placements in hard aspect to the transiting Venus-Mars conjunction in particular). No doubt you will recognise how that’s working in your own life – and you may see traces of it unfolding in the outer world too.
Issues like the Prince Andrew scandal (sex and money) demonstrate this perfectly – the matter was settled surprisingly quickly, no doubt to some sort of mutual (dis)satisfaction or it wouldn’t have been agreed. And, of course, the case reached a state of culmination under the gaze of an approaching Full Moon in royal Leo. The world moves on – though not in quite the same way – and it’s the theme of adjustment or re-adjustment that is carried through when we look at the aspects to the February 2022 Full Moon.
February 2022 Full Moon: The Aspects
There is only one aspect to this lunation and it’s a quincunx from the Moon to Pluto. This 150˚ aspect is an awkward one, so I feel it’s worth reminding you of what a quincunx is about. It’s often overlooked and is sometimes considered to be a minor aspect – but that’s a real case of being in denial about an aspect that can cause major issues both in a natal and in a predictive astrological chart.
When we see a quincunx (or an inconjunct as it’s also known) we know that something is conflicted – and it’s the kind of conflict that is almost impossible to resolve. Two people, two opinions, two positions are in play that have no relationship with each each other. Differences cannot be reconciled so you have to learn to live with it. Compromise isn’t possible so you have to agree to differ – and you have to make an adjustment (mentally, emotionally, physically) to accommodate that difference.
It’s not easy. Sometimes it’s bearable and sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes you’ll feel that things are okay – and sometimes it seems like the end of the world. Regardless of how it works out (and it’s an unpredictable aspect with more than a hint of Uranus going on) you may try to deal with it by walking that mile in someone else’s shoes (ouch!) or by simply seeing the funny side of a situation. More often, however, you’re going to shrug your shoulders and say, “I simply don’t get it” and leave it at that. Then move on.
The Moon Quincunx Pluto
So, the February 2022 Full Moon throws up a quincunx to Pluto. Before you shrug your shoulders let’s look at the possibilities that this contains. The quincunx often moves life into a new place through the law of unintended consequences. When the Moon and Pluto are connected like this, it’s a real sign that whatever happened (the thing you’re adjusting to) is something from which there is no turning back. What’s done can’t be undone. Pluto doesn’t do a change of heart.
That may be on a personal level (or otherwise) but there is a message coming out loud and clear. Whatever the circumstances, the February 2022 Full Moon in Leo is saying, “Look for the creative possibilities in this situation”. When we draw a line under a certain situation – no matter what that situation is – we need to make an adjustment. It often involves having our fingers prized from whatever it was we were clinging onto (Pluto) and, as a result, having to readjust a lot of things – including our expectations.
The February 2022 Full Moon, is a sign that it’s okay to draw the line – in fact as Pluto is conjunct Mercury (just over the border in Aquarius), then it’s likely your head is already in that new space, looking forward. So don’t hold yourself back from moving on in life. Reconcile yourself to whatever happened in the past (you don’t have to ignore it or agree with it by the way) and get your life back together. This Full Moon may show you exactly where your attention needs to be focused to do exactly that.
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© Sara Shipman 2022
Picture credit: Image by Michael Kleinsasser from Pixabay
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