February ushers in a welcomed period of forward momentum in the astrology. All planets have gone direct, and while this momentum is not without its disruptions, this month is about tying up loose ends and preparing for the huge planetary changes that are still on the horizon when Saturn and Pluto change signs in March.

The month begins with a dramatic Full Moon in Leo, where surprising events may unfold that challenge us and disrupt our moment in the spotlight, but ultimately reveal our strength and leadership capabilities.

Mercury moves into Aquarius mid-month, shifting what is “on our mind” to more intellectual subjects, such as, science, technology, space and the future. This transit will make several important connections that finally tie up the Saturn/Uranus square that has been ongoing since 2021 as well as Saturn’s 2.5 year long transit of Aquarius.

On the 18th the Sun moves into dreamy and creative Pisces where it will make mostly positive connections, including the Sun’s yearly conjunction to Neptune, which brings spiritual illumination and a new chapter in healing. Although this conjunction may initially feel a bit foggy and confusing, ultimately, it brings clarity and closes the long chapter of strange squares between Mars in Gemini and Neptune in Pisces that has been occurring over the last 4 months.

The New Moon in Pisces plants a seed of desire to turn our spiritual or creative pursuits into something more! However, the New Moon also gives us a taste of the upcoming transit of Saturn in Pisces where we’ll learn what it really takes to manifest dreams into reality!

Finally, Venus enters fiery Aries, enhancing our assertiveness in relationships! It will then conjoin Jupiter and bring us the “luckiest day of the year!”

February is quick-paced and a great time to make headway on existing projects, tie up any loose ends and prepare ourselves for the biggest shifts of the year–Saturn into Pisces and Pluto into Aquarius, occurring in March!

Energy most positive for Sun/Moon/Rising in: Aries, Virgo, Libra, Pisces

Mixed energy for Sun/Moon/Rising in:  Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Aquarius, Capricorn

Maximum intensity for Sun/Moon Rising in:  Aries, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius

February 5th, 2023: Full Moon at 16° of Leo

February 11th, 2023: Mercury Enters Aquarius

February 18th, 2023: Sun Enters Pisces

February 20th, 2023: New Moon at 1° of Pisces

February 20th, 2023: Venus Enters Aries

Full Moon at 16° of Leo

Exact on February 5th, 2023 at 11:28pm MST

Most active from February 1st through February 10th, 2023
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​The Full Moon in Leo is culminating a long and arduous chapter of our lives. You could say it's time to premiere something special that we've been hard at work on behind the scenes! Even though we may feel fully prepared and ready to take on the role of a lifetime, the cosmos have something else in mind–a test of our character, and we must first deal with a few surprises!

The Full Moon in Leo SQUARES Uranus in Taurus!

The Leo Full Moon presents yet another frustrating disruption to our flow and momentum. But before we react, we must remember, there is much more to this energy.
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​Yes, this energy presents us with another reason to pivot or change strategy. However, it's very possible that whatever occurs is merely an oversight that can be fixed easily, yet under the Leo Moon energy, it may feel like a bigger deal than it is. Initially, our confidence may take a blow...

But is this really the kind of leader we want ourselves to be?

We must also remember that when dealing with Uranus, despite its disruptive nature, it is helping to awaken us and move us toward progress. Instead of a setback, think of this Full Moon as more of like a lightning strike. It's an ‘aha’ moment that sheds light on something within ourselves that we allow to make us feel inferior or to hold us back from receiving the success and recognition we seek.
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The good news is that creativity is in full swing AND coming to our aid at the Leo Full Moon! The other energies occurring alongside the New Moon will aid us in resolving the issues that arise both quickly, and in fact, quite brilliantly.

The Full Moon in Leo makes a helpful sextile to Mars in Gemini giving us the ability to be flexible and to "think on our toes." We will easily be able to improvise when it comes to taking action. Mars is also squaring Venus in Pisces, enhancing our passion and creativity! Finally, we’ll have Mercury, the planet of communication, closely sextile to Neptune in Pisces. This energy will greatly increase our creativity and intuition, adding to the fluidity of our thoughts and our sense of adaptability.

In other words, we will “just know” how to move and what to do throughout this time.
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In conclusion, although the Full Moon in Leo may initially feel difficult, but as we move through it, we will see it as more of a test of our developing character. This energy heals our "imposter syndrome," by showing us how far we've come. We know what we're doing now and we are quite capable of leadership and of being in the spotlight.

Mercury Enters Aquarius

Exact on February 11th, 2023 at 4:22am MST

Active from February 11th through March 2nd, 2023

Mercury enters Aquarius today, its modern exaltation sign. This is an excellent energy for Mercury as it combines our thoughts and communications with the progressive and tech-savvy energy of Aquarius! Mercury in Aquarius is a highly intelligent, creative and rebellious thinker. People with this placement cannot be persuaded of anything without first coming to the conclusion on their own! In fact, they need to be left to their own devices when it comes figuring things out or getting something accomplished. They will do it their own way, and results will be ingenious!

Mercury in Aquarius is an extremely social and inquisitive energy! With this transit, we may find ourselves thinking and communicating a little differently, but brilliantly as well. We may find ourselves craving deeper, more intellectual conversations and connections. We may even find ourselves crossing paths with important social connections or coming up with innovative ideas and solutions to our problems. Topics such as space, technology, aliens and even astrology are very Aquarian and may be in the headlines more throughout this time. Additionally, this transit is a great time for learning something new as Mercury in Aquarius just “gets it” without necessarily understanding how or why. 

Mercury is a quick-moving planet and although its transits are brief, they are important. Mercury is representative of the mind and its transits tell us quite literally what’s on our mind! Planets moving through Aquarius so far this year are making several important and karmic connections throughout their respective transits of this sign. Each planet trines Mars in Gemini, squares Uranus in Taurus, squares the Lunar Nodes in Taurus and Scorpio, and finally, forms a conjunction to Saturn in Aquarius 

With Mercury trine Mars, what is on our mind is walking our talk. Our thoughts are crystal clear with Mercury trine Mars, especially with these planets in the intelligent Air signs. This is an energy of ease, giving us the ability to problem-solve and take action on our ideas without second-guessing ourselves. It’s also a very social time when communications are quick. Our exchanges, whether in person or via the internet, will be rapid-fire and crystal clear.

Mercury squaring Uranus in Taurus, as well as the Lunar Nodes in Taurus and Scorpio, is an energy of fated change. We may get some surprising news that forces us to change how we are thinking about something. These combined energies are “out-of-the-box” thinking at its finest and if we are willing to try something new and unusual, we may discover innovative new paths forward.

Mercury’s transit through Aquarius is very free-thinking and idealistic. However, the conjunction to Saturn is a time when we’ll need to “rein it in” a little and remember to be practical with our ideas. This brief conjunction is an energy of critical thinking, when we may find the flaws in our ideas, plans and communications throughout this time. With this particular energy it is important to be mindful not to be too hard on yourself or others. Mercury conjunct Saturn can be overly critical and unnecessarily harsh in some cases.

Sun Enters Pisces

Exact on February 18th, 2023 at 3:34pm MST

Active from February 18th through March 20th, 2023

Happy Solar Return to the Pisces readers out there! The Sun enters the last sign of the zodiac and the otherworldly sign of Pisces today. The Sun’s transit of Pisces is a mystical and nebulous time of transition and endings. It is through Pisces that we must let go of all that has come before and trust in the great unknown to bring about our new beginnings in a few weeks time, come Aries season. In the Northern hemisphere, this is where winter ends and the weather literally feels a bit lost! It’s cold, it’s warm, it’s rainy, it’s windy. Like the sign of Pisces, it’s a little bit of everything yet it is hard to pin down and accurately describe the energy.

Not everyone feels comfortable in Pisces energy, especially those who like order and control, or who need something tangible to anchor them in reality. But the Sun in Pisces is about releasing control and seeing what happens. It’s trusting in something divine to hold you when all else fades away. It is a highly creative and deeply spiritual energy. The watery influence of this sign on the Sun shines light on what is normally hidden away and mysterious about our lives and our world. In Pisces season, we can explore the liminal spaces and ethereal places, leaving our body behind to float through our subconscious and imagination, blurring the lines between reality, fantasy and escape. 

We’re going to be examining the nebulous sign of Pisces a great deal in the coming months and years when Saturn enters this sign in March, bringing its boundaries and structure to the sign where boundaries and structure dissolve!

For now, the Sun through Pisces makes a series of connections that we’ll want to pay attention to, especially in March, the latter part of the transit. The period between March 14th-16th will be a very strange, but inspiring time, of resolution and even spiritual healing. On the 14th, Mars in Gemini will make its final exact square to Neptune. This has been a recurring energy with Mars’ retrograde in Gemini bringing about confusion and disillusionment regarding our goals and ambitions, as well as our physical and mental health. 

However, during this time the Sun is right there with Neptune. In fact it is the next day, the 15th of March, that the Sun conjuncts Neptune in Pisces exactly. Something has been eluding us for many months with the Mars square that will now see the light of day. The Sun conjunct Neptune is beginning a new cycle between these two spiritual and creative energies, renewing our spirits and our sense of divine purpose. However, it may not feel this way in the moment. Pisces is about letting go and the Sun’s conjunction to Neptune may initially feel confusing, inexplicably sad or lethargic. This is a time when we’ll need to release, rather than try to force ourselves to do things. This is a time best spent resting, or in meditation, prayer, or some other sort of spiritual or creative practice. These receptive practices are where we will be able to gain deep insight and clarity into an area of our lives that has felt lost or empty.

The following day, the 16th, the Sun will square Mars in Gemini exact. This is when we may feel our energies again. Our passion will be renewed and we may desire to begin taking action on the spiritual epiphanies we may have had throughout these strange days.

New Moon at 1° of Pisces

Exact on February 20th, 2023 at 12:06am MST

Most active from February 15th through February 25th, 2023

We have a strangely grounded, but powerful New Moon in the nebulous sign of Pisces! This New Moon is setting the stage for the next few years to come when Saturn transits this mystical water sign, bringing structure to a sign known for its fluidity and lack of structure! Pisces is the realm of the subconscious and the New Moon here is typically a very dreamy and imaginative time. This New Moon will certainly help us to tap into those more intangible Pisces qualities, but with a twist! The difference with this New Moon in Pisces is that it will be in a very close, but out-of-sign, conjunction with Saturn in Aquarius. Although this conjunction is out-of-sign, it is still close enough to feel the impact and energy of Saturn.

In astrology, Saturn is known as the taskmaster. Saturn understands the importance of boundaries, structure, rules, regulations and convention. On the other hand, Pisces represents the dream or an intangible ideal. Saturn’s part in this New Moon will be to help us remove the rose-colored glasses and gain a full view of what is necessary in order to achieve our dreams. Saturn will show us the business side of things.

With a conjunction to Saturn, the flowing Piscean energy may feel a little more suppressed and serious. This is a time when many of us, especially highly creative or spiritual people, may feel a strong yearning to take our creative endeavors or spiritual passions to a more professional level. But how do we do that? This is what Saturn can show us. Saturn's involvement with the New Moon in Pisces will have a grounding affect on us and imbue our New Moon visualizations with practicality and an understanding that turning dreams into reality takes more than dreaming. It takes time, committment and good, old-fashioned hard work.

However, when we're working with Pisces, nothing is cut and dry and there is more to the energy of the New Moon than simply a conjunction to Saturn. The New Moon in Pisces also trines the South Node in Scorpio. The trine to the South Node indicates a certain “readiness” with regard to pursuing dreams. It's true, Pisces is a idealistic energy that can be let down easily by the harshness of reality. Over the years, many of us may have wanted to do more with our creative or spiritual gifts only to have criticism and loss cast doubt upon us. 

But where others see an end, Pisces knows there is more to come. The last sign of the Zodiac learns from what came ahead of it, and in this way, Pisces is an incredibly resilient energy.

The New Moon in trine to the South Node in Scorpio indicates that though we may have been knocked down before, we’ve likely picked ourselves up, too, and transformed many times over. This works in our favor at this New Moon with the difference being that our skin has grown thicker and we are more steeled than we realize for whatever level of achievement we seek next. We’ve come to understand that self-doubt is one of our many tests, but to keep going is the way to prove our Saturnian commitment. This New Moon is where we must tap into one of Pisces' many strengths and keep going with faith in ourselves. 

We can also look at Jupiter and Neptune, the co-rulers of Pisces.

Jupiter is conjunct Chiron in Aries, sextiling both Mars in Gemini and Mercury in Aquarius. This indicates a further steeling of our minds and a powerful healing of our beliefs and thoughts toward ourselves. It also gives us the ability to think critically and find assistance within our connections and social circles.

The other thing happening is Venus conjunct Neptune. This indicates that just because we may be taking on a more serious approach in pursuit of our spiritual or creative dreams, this does not mean our sensitivity, creativity, idealism or compassion needs to be diminished in any way. In fact, it may even be renewed as we gain a new perspective and a fuller understanding that the winding path we've taken to get here was, in fact, the perfect path. We’ve had to learn to let go and trust in order for the Universe to show us what is now possible.

Venus Enters Aries

Exact on February 20th, 2023 at 12:55am MST

Active from February 20th through March 16th, 2023

Venus enters Aries today, the fiery sign of her detriment! Venus in Aries is an interesting energy that is intensely passionate, playful, exciting and sexually potent. On the one hand, Venus in Aries is the epitome of “self-love” and of knowing what one wants and deserves in relationship.  On the other hand, in the Mars-ruled sign of Aries, Venus can struggle to compromise, as well as be too self-focused and forceful when expressing its needs!

In transit this energy is great for helping us turn our love toward ourselves. We may feel the urge to be a little more selfish with our time and money by splurging on ourselves or exploring the topics we feel most passionate about. This could even be a time when we could make money on our passions!

In relationship, we may find ourselves feeling more flirtatious and initiating more fun and play with our partners throughout this time. However, we may also notice ourselves being a little more blunt than usual when expressing what we want and need from others during this transit. For those who are naturally more passive and easy-going in relationship, this can be a helpful energy for asserting yourself and reminding your partner that your wants and needs are valid and important too. For those who don’t have this issue, it’s a good idea to be mindful of this potential so as not to push too hard and consciously be more receptive during this time. 

Venus will make a couple of important connections while transiting Aries, including a conjunction to Jupiter and a square to Pluto in Capricorn.

Venus’s yearly conjunction to Jupiter is known as “the luckiest day of the year!” The two benefic planets come together once a year, bringing hope, luck and optimism. This transit occurs on March 1st, and in the sign of Aries, may be experienced the day before or after as a sense of intense passion or ambition, extreme confidence, pure luck, or as though you are in the right place at the right time!

Later in this transit, Venus will make an intense square to Pluto on the 16th of March. Pay special attention during this time because with Venus square Pluto, our feelings run DEEP. Any underlying issues within our money or love relationships are likely to come to a head under this energy. While this energy is wildly passionate and magnetically attractive, it can be so to a fault. The day before and after this square comes exact, we may notice an obsessive, jealous or controlling dynamic within relationships. Be careful of using, or falling prey to, manipulation tactics during this time.

Written by Stephanie Weiss, edited by Heather and the Astrology with Heather team