Welcome to February. We kick it off with a brand New Moon in Aquarius on the 1st which also marks the Lunar New Year and Year of the Tiger. This Moon means business as Saturn, the Taskmaster, is close by it. Expect a bit less emotion with this lunation and set some tangible goals for Saturn to check over with its red-ink pen. This should also be a very productive month for getting stuff done: driven Mars is in a very strong place (exalted in Capricorn) until March 6th. According to the Stars, this should mean reduced office place irritations. Love looks a lot nicer all February as Venus has awoken from its long retrograde slumber and is now moving direct. Valentines’ Day, in particular, appears strong with an exalted Mars conjunct Venus: passion, lust for life, but of a gentlemanly kind. Trickster Mercury goes direct on the 4th, after a three week retrograde transit of communication and travel snafus. Mercury direct means more clarity in expression, thankfully. A big Full Moon in fiery Leo on the early hours of the 17th marks a nice day to complete some project that has been hanging overhead. Finally, the Sun ingresses into watery Pisces and joins Jupiter on the 18th making for an expansive Season of the Fish. Oh, it’s also Pluto’s birthday, so raise a glass to the Bulldozer Planet, which was discovered on February 18, 1930, when our great Grandparents were reading Horoscopes written in starchy newspaper prose.
AQUARIUS
You have reached the midpoint of a big two-year Saturn transit through your 1st House of Selfhood, Ego, and Identity. Saturn is like a schoolmaster who wants you to be diligent in your studies. What have you learned about yourself the past year? A book report is due on Saturn’s desk at the end of the month. In all seriousness, though, think about steps you have made toward self-development in 2021. Ask yourself, as well, where you want to be a year from now, when Saturn leaves your sign? The Schoolmaster loves plans, so be the teacher’s pet and map out a set of professional and personal destinations for the upcoming year. Regarding birthday vibes, the Sun is somewhat overshadowed by the Taskmaster Planet at the moment. Grown-up themes–aging, maturity, time passing–may, therefore, take precedence this season over fun stuff. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be your unconventional forward thinking Self. The future just might look a little more serious right now. On a lighter note, the Sun leaves Aquarius and joins bountiful Jupiter in Pisces on the 18th in your 2nd House of Finances. Jupiter was hemmed up in your Saturn-ruled sign all last year. Unexpected financial opportunities could result from Jupiter’s placement more auspicious in the latter half of February.
PISCES
We have all been to a party too early, before it gets cracking. January was a bit like that for the four month Jupiter-fest in your sign to start this year. The Luck-giver needed to warm-up, after a year in chilly Aquarius. But now the cosmic shindig is getting loose, more wine is flowing, and Jupiter is holding court on the couch of your 1st House of Selfhood, Ego, and Identity. In the middle of all this good Jupiter cheer, the Sun will be showing up in your 1st House on the 18th of February, as well. You are going to be luminescent starting mid-February into March. With Jupiter and the Sun in the 1st, expect heightened self-esteem and buoyancy. This positive Jupiter/Sun placement, which will manifest in giving and receiving more from friends and loved ones, are perfect for your compassionate nature. As a caveat, though, keep in mind that Jupiter can also expand our appetites and waistlines, while also shrinking bank accounts if given no discipline.
ARIES
Hot-headed Mars, your ruler, went into conservative Capricorn on the 26th of January and will camp there until the 6th of March. Here’s the good thing: Mars is exalted in the Goat, meaning that its malefic tendencies (aggression, recklessness, anger) are mitigated by Capricorn’s low-key, earthy influence. An exalted Mars is like pure caffeinated focus, without the jittery irritability or roughness during the day. This Mars-in-Capricorn transit will be highlighting your career sector all month and into early March. Use this time to really nail-it at work. Capricorn’s practicality+Mars’s drive could result in powerful solutions oriented productivity. Until the 18th, you also have Saturn and Sun in your 11th House of Friendships. Saturn stands for duration and longevity. This could be a time for meeting up with old friends. Stay away from Instagram shenanigans and focus on deep bonds, if you want to take a break from work. Otherwise, use this exalted Mars period to get ahead with your career.
TAURUS
You love things of the world–the sensual pull of lux boutiques and their bejeweled interiors–but this month the Stars are saying to stop reading product descriptions of Isabel Marant scarves and nourish your spiritual side instead. Why? As of January 28th, Venus, your ruler, has emerged from the underground of a long retrograde and is now going direct in Capricorn, where it is joined by an exalted Mars. Usually Mars/Venus conjunctions make Planet Love undignified, but with Mars fortuitously placed, this particular transit, lasting until March 6th, will give pure high octane focus, energy, and passion to your 9th House of Learning, Spirituality, and Knowledge. Although your nature is slow and steady, use an exalted Mars/Venus to find a higher love through spiritual learning and knowledge. “The Interior Castle” by St. Teresa of Avila is very strange and fascinating, if you need a tip.
GEMINI
Mercury, your ruler, has been in an inauspicious retrograde since the 14th of January, likely making communication more vexed and prone to misunderstandings. Thankfully the Messenger Planet goes direct in Capricorn on the 4th of the month. While Mercury doesn’t necessarily like being in the Goat (the former is fast and light, the latter conservative and heavy), it’s important to learn to roll with transits. Use this placement, which will be highlighting your sector of shared finances, to go over bills, taxes, and money owed. No fun, but Capricorn excels in this domain. Take advantage of the Goat’s meticulous, money-savvy energy to get organized, which your flighty nature has trouble with sometimes. Until the 18th, the Sun will be in your 9th House of Higher Learning, where it is said to have its “joy.” It will be co-present with serious Saturn, meaning this is a time for thinking deeply about things like history and truth rather than gliding on the gossamer of gossip, as is Gemini’s wont. Again you have to roll with this transit. Get deep during it. No surfaces. On the 18th, the Sun shifts into your career sector, where it will join benefic Jupiter. If the first part of the month was heavier (Capricorn and Saturn), the mood lightens with Jupiter who is in high spirits in your 10th House of Career. Recognition and reward could result from this placement.
CANCER
Aquarius season is not the best time for you. The cerebral, somewhat distant Waterbearer is quite unlike your caring, emotional nature. But oftentimes the cosmos gives us transits to focus on that short circuit certain seasons of discontent. Such is the case for you this month, as Venus, Mars, Mercury, and Pluto are in Capricorn, lighting up your relationship sector. The planet to really focus on here is Mars, which is exalted in the Goat. Rather than giving off its usual aggression, an exalted Mars is more like pure caffeine without the side-effects. It gives drive to get things done. With Venus also in the mix all month, extra love, passion, and energy for partnerships is indicated. Finally Mercury (communication) transits this zone until mid-Month, too, which suggests newfound clarity through communication with partners. On the 18th, the Sun shifts into watery Pisces (a sign you love), where this solar power will be lighting up your 9th House of Higher Learning. The Sun is said to have its “Joy” in this sector of the chart. It will join Jupiter, which is associated with higher learning and knowledge, as well. This is a superb transit to open up a tome and deepen understanding, especially around spiritual and mystical topics which lie under the woof of fact.
LEO
You’re famously and charmingly “me-first.” Ruled by the Sun, which is the center of our little cosmos, you likewise think that the universe revolves around you, too. But this month needs to be a little less about you and more about the ‘us’ and “we” involved in relationships and intimacy. Indeed, the Sun will be highlighting your partnership zone until the 18th and then ambulating into your intimate space of sex, shared finances, transformation. Our relationship sector is ruled by Libra whose function is to measure, balance, and be fair. Make the effort to listen a bit to partners as they voice opinions and feelings–especially from the 14th onward when Mercury (communication) joins your relationship sector. This is time for dialogue, not the dramatic monolog you prefer. Plan a late date for Valentines, as the Moon shifts into the Lion this night, making it an extra romantic time for you. When the Sun switches into Pisces and your zone of intimacy and shared resources on the 18th, remember: “Sharing” should be your mantra. You need to co-star instead of headline.
VIRGO
Fast-moving Mercury, your ruling planet, has been saddled since January 14th with a big retrograde, resulting in messy communication, misunderstandings, and other such comedies of error. Being the neat freak of the Zodiac, Mercury retrogrades are a kind of horror show for you, but on the 4th, the Messenger Planet goes direct in your 5th House of Romance, Creativity, and Fun for 10 days. Use Mercury’s time there wisely. Communication will be heightened and of a more artistic bent in this sector of your chart. While you’re of a practical nature, try to let loose a bit during this 10 day transit. Add some flourishes to your sensible prose. On the 18th, the Sun moves into your 7th House of Relationships, where it joins the gigantic benefic presence of Jupiter in Pisces. Expect radiance between you and your partner–more abundance in business or household harmony with this auspicious Jupiter placement.
LIBRA
On February 1st you have a New Moon in your Romance and Creativity sector, otherwise known as the 5th House, which also deals with fertility. New Moons are times to plant seeds of intention to be harvested later. If you’re interested in, say, a child, this would be a good night to have some wine on the patio with your helpmate and then plant seeds. If you’re not interested in this kind of fertilization, use this New Moon to brainstorm on a new creative project. The Sun is also in your 5th House until the 18th, so you have a nice breezy transit with airy Aquarius trining the Scales. All of this air in your creativity sector suggests ideas aplenty for the first half of the month–but maybe not the weight of earth energy to bring them into a solid state. When the Sun shifts into your 6th House of Routine on the 18th, this might be a better time to get down to writing, producing, or enacting those ideas into something tangible. Be aware, finally, that you’ve got a nice Venus-with-exalted-Mars in your Home sector until the 6th of March. Such a conjunction brings passion to a project–so maybe getting creative in the first half of the month about a minor home renovation and then completing it by the end of February is the cosmic move.
SCORPIO
Your ruler, aggressive Mars, is exalted in Capricorn until the 6th of March, so you may be feeling somewhat more chill than usual this month. Capricorn is a practical, goal-oriented sign that tends to bring the boiling cauldron that is the Red Planet down to a simmer. With a more relaxed Mars in your 3rd House of Communication and Siblings all February, you might want to talk with brothers, sisters (or people you deem brotherly or sisterly in your life) about any issues you may be having with them. An objective Aquarius Sun in your 4th House of Home will help with communication in this regard, too. But no matter how you look at it–either via Mars in your Sibling zone or the Aquarius Sun in your Home sector– the Stars are dealing cards related to family, home life, and communication themes. But this need not be a heavy duty set of transits. On the 18th, the Sun shifts over into your 5th House of Romance, Fun, and Creativity. With Mars still in your Siblings zone, this could be a good moment to do something madcap with brotherly or sisterly figures. Finally, mark the 3rd of February as a lovely lunar transit: the Moon links with Jupiter-in-Pisces in your 5th House of Fun. Do something expansive–Hotel at the Ritz–with your boo (the 5th House also deals with Fertility, so…..FYI).
SAGITTARIUS
Glorious Jupiter, at home in Pisces, is in your 4th House of Home Life all month, making this a great time to smooth things over with family members, if there is anything rough hewn at the moment. Think of Jupiter’s placement as an “olive branch” transit. If, however, things are good at home, then make them better. Use this Jupiter transit to extend generosity and be in touch with family more. Because the Luck-giver Planet expands that which it comes into contact, this placement in the Home sector could also indicate getting a bigger place to live (or needing a bigger place to live because the family will be growing in size and/or number). On the 18th, the Sun joins Jupiter in your 4th House of Home, too, further energizing this month’s family tinged theme. Sun and Jupiter in empathetic Pisces could bring an unexpected family reunion or visit, either to your place or you going to see fam elsewhere.
CAPRICORN
You’ve got a lot of energy in your Selfhood sector this month (Venus, Mars, Mercury and Pluto), but it’s going to be better vibes than Capricorn season perhaps. Why? For one, Venus has finally come out of its retrograde in your sign and will be going direct with an exalted Mars there, as well, until March 6th. Usually Mars makes Venus a bit less dignified, but, with Planet War exalted, this auspicious conjunction is known to produce passion or burning desire for persons, places, or things. After that sluggish Venus stint up in the Goat, this kind of passion is what you need. Expect more joie de vivre in the way you present to the world, too:, with all this energy in the your 1st House of Self: more elan with dress, a Hermes scarf here or there. If romance was feeling like it was going backward, February could be a time to move forward with things you hold dear. With the Aquarius Sun in your 2nd House of Finances until the 18th, this could also be a nice little transit to purchase something unconventional with your money. Aquarius is quirky. Spend some money on something odd, but don’t spend too much: stern Saturn, your ruler, is also in your 2nd House, so keep it frugal.