Tag Archives: Aquarius

Sagittarius Season & Pluto Back in Aquarius

The sun moved into Sagittarius on November 21st. Prior to that, we had Pluto making its final entrance into Aquarius on November 19th. It made a couple visits to Aquarius in the last couple years but went back into Capricorn (and very tellingly was at the final degree of Capricorn on Election Day in the U.S.). I’ve written about Pluto in Aquarius and what that could possibly bring previously. Pluto will be in Aquarius for almost 20 years now.

One of the first global shifts Pluto in Aquarius has produced is the end of Vanderpump Rules as we know it, with the original cast not returning for next season. VPR is a prime example of a Pluto in Capricorn show, with a Saturnian authority figure overseeing a bunch of messy employees, trying to encourage maturation and structure in their lives (but, actually, stoking the show drama to make big money).

When it premiered in the early 2010s, it was an examination of waitresses and bartenders aspiring to achieve the sort of capitalist and patriarchal hallmarks of success that were so emblematic of the era (e.g., getting married, traveling on private planes, launching businesses) but usually being undone by their own tendencies toward chaos and stupidity. You gave us everything, VPR. I’ll miss you terribly but also am ready to move on.

Now, back to Sagittarius season. We’ve lost Vanderpump Rules and it gets dark at 4pm. Usually, once the sun moves to Sagittarius, the vibe gets a little livelier and lighter, like a breath of fresh air after Scorpio season. Scorpio season is moody and intense, but by Sag season, we’re already accustomed to the shorter days and longer nights, and we’re in holiday mode, in end-of-year mode. It’s a time for socializing and starting to dream big about what the next year will bring. This year, though, feels a little different due to a couple current and upcoming retrogrades (and, of course, the state of the world we live in).

The first lunation we get is a new moon in Sagittarius overnight on November 30th / December 1st, depending on where you live. Our last new moon was in Scorpio, on November 1st, at the same time as the Mars-Pluto opposition. It was volatile, to say the least. This one is a little more low-key. There aren’t any tight, difficult configurations at the same time as this new moon, which is a nice change, but it does mark a time of effort. 

Mercury is in Sag close by, and Mercury is currently retrograde. It’s loosely opposite Jupiter in Gemini, also retrograde. Now, because Jupiter and Mercury are in each other’s home signs, they are helping each other out, giving them a little more ease than they’d otherwise have, but when they are retrograde, this is not a time for making big grandiose plans; it’s more about a thoughtful review of goals. 

Not only are Mercury and Jupiter retrograde, but Mars is moving very slowly right now, preparing to station on December 6th and then go retrograde, moving from Leo back to Cancer, all the way back to 17 degrees, where it will station on February 23rd. Mars retrograde is generally not great for starting new endeavors. Obviously, if you have an agreement to start a new job or move or whatever, you have to live your life, but generally, projects that start under a Mars retrograde can sap energy and have trouble gaining forward momentum. 

With Mars going retrograde, then direct again in the last half of Cancer and the early degrees of Leo, you can expect to see some call backs to stories, especially ones relating to masculinity, aggression, war, and ambition, that have been unfolding over the last couple months come up again, first between December and February, and then again in March and early May next year. You can also expect to see stories from your own life, especially relating to the topics that are associated with the houses where you have Cancer and Leo in your own birth chart, popping back up. 

This period of reflection, recalibrating, stopping and starting, and potential malaise lasts for a few months until the spring, when there are big changes afoot and it will feel like all systems go. The advice I’m trying to give myself is to not fight it. Especially with an Aries moon, I have a deep need to always be moving forward, doing something, creating some sort of action plan, but the next few months represent a wait-and-see period, as much as it practically can be.  Let’s spend the winter reassessing our desires, plans, and goals, and watching old episodes of VPR, salving our souls.

Some Rough Air Ahead

We’ve had kind of a break since the wild ride of mid-July. The Mercury retrograde we’re currently experiencing seems pretty mild compared with the astrology of last month. But now, we’re gearing up for some more interesting transits next week, and it looks like things are going to get turbulent again. 

On Wednesday, August 14th, Mars, which is now in buzzy Gemini, is going to align with Jupiter, forming a conjunction. On its own, a Mars-Jupiter conjunction could signify an expansion (Jupiter) of aggression and assertiveness (Mars). Mars is also about passion, and with it and Jupiter both in Gemini, you could be feeling the urge to vision board and make grandiose plans. You may send rambling texts to your friends with big ideas for the future. It’s cocaine energy. Mars and Jupiter are about dreaming big, but not so much about the details. And in the news, we may see some big protests and/or some large-scale threats of violence. 

With both Mars and Jupiter approaching squares (tense aspects) with Saturn in the days following their conjunction, there’s going to be conflict between the big, passionate, grandiose visions and movements and the harshness of reality. Saturn puts a damper on all that. It asks how you’re actually going to accomplish those pipe dreams of yours. I have both a Saturn-ruled sun and Mercury in my chart, and I feel like so much of my job is pressing my colleagues on how they are actually going to achieve those things that they are planning. I often ask, “OK, but what can you realistically do in this timeframe?” Saturn says no, which can be really frustrating, but sometimes we need the reality check!

The Mars-Saturn square will be exact on August 15th and the Jupiter-Saturn square is exact on August 19th. In the news, this coincides with the weekend leading up to and the beginning of the DNC. There’s been both astrological and non-astrological focus on how 2024 has paralleled 1968 in so many ways. The Astrology Podcast, the gold-standard of, well, astrology podcasts, had a really great breakdown of this in its August forecast episode. In the U.S., we’ve had student protests, an incumbent choosing not to run for re-election, an assassination attempt, RFK, this time Jr., and a planned DNC in Chicago of all places. Does that mean that the 2024 DNC is going to be the kind of chaotic shitshow that 1968’s was? TBD. But with the Mars-Jupiter-Saturn configuration, I could definitely see some large scale protests and demonstrative actions that are harshly suppressed by law enforcement.

Speaking of the sixties, I really love Mad Men. I want to go back and rewatch season 6, which felt super disjointed, but the point of the dissonant tone of that season was to show just how insane 1968 felt to those living it. There was a whole episode on the MLK assassination, and then in a subsequent episode, the RFK assassination appears merely as a last-couple-minute coda, as if to say, another one…when will this end? Megan weeping quietly on the bed, listening to the morning news, as Don numbly gets ready for work….how much of this year has felt that way? Then the credits roll to Friend & Lover’s bubbly “Reach Out in the Darkness”. The mindfuckery we’re experiencing now isn’t totally unprecedented, but that doesn’t make it less exhausting and anxiety producing.

One last potential manifestation of this transit: with both Mars and Jupiter in air sign Gemini and Saturn in Pisces, the most watery of the water signs, there’s big hurricane energy (i.e., big fierce wind up against water). Not a surprising parallel given this summer’s active hurricane season.  

And the Mars-Jupiter-Saturn of it all is just one strand of the astrology of this upcoming week.

On August 18th, there’s a Mercury-Uranus square, so another tense aspect, this one between the messenger planet of communication and technology and the planet of disruptions and surprises. This is another transit that drums up anxiety. Our thinking during these few days may be less rational than usual. Just take a beat before acting on any quick thoughts or impulses you may have. This is also the second time we’ve had this transit because Mercury is retrograde now; the same configuration also occurred on July 21st and will happen again on September 6th & 7th. So if you think back to what stories occurred on July 21st, both personally and in the zeitgeist, there may be some revisions to narratives or further developments, with the conclusions coming in September. 

And finally, on August 19th, there is a full moon in Aquarius at 27 degrees, opposite the sun in Leo, which is also aligned with Mercury. The moon and sun sidle up to that Mercury-Uranus configuration.

Whew. This is a very interesting full moon, compounding the energies described above. There are just a lot of things that are going to culminate, and the full moon, in the sign associated with innovation and the collective, is going to shed some light on our own roles in shaping our collective future. Leo is very much about ego, but the moon in Aquarius balancing it out encourages us to think less about the “me” and more about the “we.” What can we do for the betterment of our communities, for all? Reach out in the darkness, indeed. 

Of course, take this all with a grain of salt. Manifestations of these themes may be big and loud, but they could be small and quiet, too. Ground yourself and don’t freak out–we have a long way to go.  

Pluto, Mars, & Venus Pile Up in Aquarius

Mars moved into Aquarius on February 13th and immediately met up with Pluto. In combination, these two planets are very powerful and volatile, and a conjunction between them can bring fights for power, violence stemming from grievances, and obsessions. The energy is intense, and as I’m writing this, on Friday the 16th, we’re still very much feeling this, but it’s waning. The most useful way to harness the Mars and Pluto conjunction is for us to tap into our bravery to face and overcome our deepest fears.

Now Venus moves in Aquarius today, February 16th, and it also joins with Pluto. Venus-Pluto conjunctions often indicate sexual obsessions, fixations with beauty and/or wealth, and deep, transformative circumstances in relationships. Maybe not the ideal vibe for Valentine’s Day, but it’s a good time for doing some deep soul searching about what you really want and hold dear.

Then next week, fresh off their conjunctions with Pluto, Venus and Mars meet late on February 21st (exact in the early morning hours of Feb 22nd). The Venus-Mars combination is most frequently marked by passion. It’s drive and action (Mars) combined with love and value (Venus). This energy can be very productive. It’s good for going after what we want. Venus and Mars generate magnetism, so we all may be feeling a little more attractive and attracted to others and experiences during this time.

This year, Venus and Mars are conjunct in Aquarius, so it’s an interesting energy. Aquarius is a sign that’s all about the collective, and it’s an air sign, the cold one, so it’s marked by intellectualizing with a cool detachment. It may chill the passions brought forth by Venus and Mars and direct them from being about self-gratification to instead improving the conditions for others. This marks an excellent time to get active about the causes you believe in.

Aquarius Season & the Full Moon in Leo

It’s Aquarius season! As an Aquarius myself, I welcome it with open arms. The punishment of having a birthday in the absolute dregs of winter (in the Northern Hemisphere) is partially mitigated by getting to be an Aquarius, with the joy of being the smartest person in the room and the smug satisfaction of knowing that you listened to that band or were wearing that style or were espousing the tenets of that political movement before it was cool. But it’s coupled with the pain of looking around at everyone else and thinking, “I am truly alone in this world. No one else understands anything.” 

Aquarius is a sign associated with rebellion, revolution, and genius. Not to say that every Aquarius exhibits all these traits outwardly, because every person has a whole plethora of things going on in their own natal chart, but when we look at our geniuses and revolutionaries, it’s not surprising when they have Aquarius placements. Toni Morrison, the greatest American author, had an Aquarius sun, Mercury, and Midheaven.  

It takes the collective a while to catch up with Aquarians, but during Aquarius season, focus gets pulled to what isn’t working and how it can be made better. We see protests. We see organizing. It’s a cliche that Aquarius is about power-to-the-people, but it’s a cliche because it’s true. 

The same day that the Sun moved into Aquarius this year, it was followed shortly by Pluto. Pluto in Aquarius is a big deal. It represents the beginning of a new era, one in which we will likely see the rapid adoption of advanced technology, mass populist movements, and revolutions. I’m hoping Pluto in Aquarius + Uranus in Gemini, coming up over the next few years, will usher in electric air travel (or even better, teleportation). 

The last time Pluto was in Aquarius, we had the American Revolution and the French Revolution, bloody conflicts where the monarchy was rejected, and the Haitian revolution, when the enslaved people of Haiti fought for and won independence from French colonizers. What revolutions will take place over the next decade plus? Time will tell (but some Aquarians are likely already seeing them coming). 

When Pluto is in a sign, it takes about 20 years, give or take, to go through it. We feel it more in the world at large than personally. It’s a vibe shift and the backdrop for big generational stories. I’ve seen a lot on astrology social media indicating that Pluto going into Aquarius will revolutionize something in the individual’s life. I’d like to caution everyone to take that with a grain of salt. Pluto moving through an area of your chart does not mean that you’re immediately going to see transformative things happen to you. Of course, you could, and those who have planets or angle points in the early degrees of Aquarius, Leo, Taurus, and Scorpio may see some huge changes play out over the next couple years. This is why it’s best to get a birth chart reading. Just because Pluto changes signs, it doesn’t herald huge sweeping changes in everyone’s lives right now. Again, it’s 20 years! Most people experience pretty big changes in their lives over a 20-year period, Pluto or no Pluto. 

Anyway. With the sun in Aquarius, we always get a full moon in Leo, and this year it occurs on Thursday, January 25th, and is exact at 12:54 pm ET. This full moon is at 5 degrees of Leo, with the sun at 5 degrees of Aquarius, and it forms a T-square to Jupiter in Taurus, so the usual themes of release that accompany a full moon see some tension with what Jupiter represents: expansion and growth. Ask yourself, how can you use the full moon to shed the stuff you’ve outgrown, in the cool light of the Aquarius sun, to help you grow and evolve? 

At this same time, Mercury is approaching a conjunction with Mars. Our last full moon, in Cancer, was also infused with Mercury-Mars energy, and this time, with the full moon in a fire sign, it promises to be feisty. Tempers may flare. Leo is a campfire, so stoke it with the good stuff, the stuff Leo loves (affirmations! self care!) instead of sharp criticism of yourself and others. In fact, since the full moon is a time for release, maybe it’s your most vicious takes and judgments you want to let go of. Aquarians can be judgmental at an individual level, but they are accepting and understanding at a collective level, so let’s embrace those vibes. This full moon will likely roil some egos in a big way, so best to keep that in mind as you’re dealing with people over the next couple days.

Full Moon in Aquarius: Self-Assessment

Leo season always brings with it an Aquarius full moon. This year’s Aquarius full moon falls on August 1st, at 2:32 pm EDT. The full moon occurs when the moon is opposite the sun, which will be at 9 degrees of Leo.

Leo is hot fire and Aquarius is cold air. The Aquarius full moon acts as a cooling agent, offering a chill in the midst of this extra heightened Leo season.

At the same time, Jupiter is at 13 degrees of Taurus, so it’s broadly forming a t-square with the sun and the moon, meaning that it’s close to 90 degrees (give or take) away from both. Jupiter is the planet of expansion, and squares are angles that cause tension but ultimately usher things along. With Jupiter forming squares with both the sun and the moon, there’s friction, potential conflict, and momentum with the expansion of both our egos and our emotions. Full moons typically bring about cathartic releases and often they’re accompanied by acting out because emotions are boiling over, so with Jupiter in the mix, we may feel a greater emotional need to break out of any sort of repression we’re feeling.

However, with the moon in Aquarius, this should be a little more tempered. And Mars, which is still in Virgo, is making a helpful aspect to Jupiter, both in earth signs, lending some additional pragmatism to the moment. 

This full moon is an opportune time for a self-assessment. Using the Aquarian lens of cool detachment, you can take a step back and assess your ego and your emotions. What are you feeling, how are your needs being met, and what needs to be realigned so that you’re feeling emotionally fulfilled? It also allows us to take a step back from the ME!-ness of Leo season to consider how our needs and desires fit with the greater collective, which is Aquarius’s concern. 

Also on August 1st, Mercury, which is now in Virgo, the sign it rules and loves, is making an exact opposition to Saturn in Pisces. A Mercury-Saturn opposition creates some tension between our communication and the structures of our lives. We may feel like the rules or the systems within which we’re forced to operate are oppressing our expression of ourselves. However, there’s some helpfulness here in relation to the full moon. You can work with Mercury and Mars both being in Virgo to edit, declutter, and clean house, to ultimately move forward in a way that fills the gaps you’ve taken stock of. A word of caution is that Virgo can sometimes pedantically be focused on details, but Aquarius wants us to pull back and see the forest for the trees, so be conscious of not getting too micro and try to be a bit more macro in your thinking.

(“See the forest for the trees” always makes me think of the song Different Drum, written by Michael Nesmith of the Monkees and performed by Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys, which, if you haven’t heard it, is great, and has a song ever been more appropriate for Venus retrograde?)

Another thing to note about a Mercury-Saturn opposition is that this can also see some technological roadblocks and clamp downs. Don’t be surprised if you reach your iCloud storage limit or get suspended from Twitter or whatever it’s called now this week.

This full moon will be felt more impactfully if you have any personal planets (the sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) or sensitive angles (your ascendant, descendant, Midheaven, or IC) near 9 degrees of Leo, Aquarius, Scorpio, or Taurus. But even if you don’t, given the multiple planetary aspects in the sky at this time, you’ll likely be feeling a lot around this full moon. As always, try to rest up as best you can and take care of yourself in the midst of all the activity.

Pluto in Aquarius: The Big Shift

Today, March 23rd, 2023, Pluto moves into Aquarius. It’s there until June, when it goes back into Capricorn, and then Pluto will waltz back and forth between Capricorn and Aquarius for months at a time until late 2024, when it begins its longer term transit through Aquarius, until 2043. 

Pluto spends more than a decade in each sign. It entered Capricorn in 2008. Pluto is the planet associated with death, rebirth, transformation, regeneration, and the hidden and secretive. It tears down and destroys, clearing and airing out before bringing in the new. When Pluto entered Capricorn, the sign associated with power and structures, including capitalism, we had the financial crisis and the collapse of several banks. The havoc showcased the dangers of unregulated capitalism. Now, as Pluto is leaving Cap, once again, we’re on the precipice of a global financial crisis. It’s asking us if we learned our lesson. 

Beyond capitalism, we also have seen demands for the reformation or tearing down of entrenched structures of patriarchy and white supremacy. We had the election of the first black POTUS, and more recently, the election of the first woman as VP. But during this time, we also had the stunning defeat of a woman presidential candidate at the hands of a man who represents the absolute worst of patriarchy, white supremacy, and capitalism, the farce of it all. Pluto has brought with it a reckoning in these areas, and the struggles continue.

With Pluto moving into Aquarius, the sign associated with the collective and humanitarianism, it seems like more jockeying for power will follow. Pluto going into Aquarius for a few months (until June) will give us a preview of what to expect in terms of the next 20 years. Aquarius is the water bearer. It wants to give nourishment. Free the people now. It’s also associated with technology and innovation and revolution. The last time Pluto was in Aquarius, we had the American Revolution, which started at the late stages of Pluto in Capricorn (hence the US going through its Pluto return these past couple years) and carried over into the time Pluto entered Aquarius, and maybe more on the nose, we also had the French Revolution. 

In terms of technology, we will definitely be seeing more tech advances during this time. That would be the case regardless of Pluto’s sign, but think about it. Up until recently, there haven’t been all that many technological breakthroughs that have sweepingly changed our everyday lives since the iPhone and the advent of streaming. More recently, we’re seeing the proliferation of crypto, AI, and the metaverse and other VR stuff. In the coming years, technology will probably continue to develop rapidly, with new innovations that we haven’t even thought of becoming part of our lives. But of course, with Pluto, there will be power struggles around that technology and battles over who controls it. The top stories on The New York Times website today, with Pluto moving into Aquarius, are all about the potential ban of TikTok, and TikTok’s CEO is currently being questioned by the Congress this morning. 

With the emphasis on the collective and revolution, while Pluto moves through Aquarius, we will likely also see technology continuing to be utilized in new ways for movements (and, with the power struggles, efforts to cut the technology to thwart organizing and protests), then resulting in more furtive use of tech to plan, organize, and connect people. But because of the emphasis on collectivity, there also may be mobilized populist movements against technology. Will there be anti-tech or anti-AI revolts as people feel more and more threatened by technological advances? Very possible. Will people take their writing, their artistry, and their organizing offline, so that it doesn’t get coopted by and become fodder for AI? 

The “power to the people” vibe of Aquarius will also lend to more burgeoning left-wing movements and greater advocacy of socialism in the coming years. Pluto in Cap saw far right-wing groups become empowered, and Pluto in Aqua will likely see similar emboldening of left-wing groups that are farther left than the current mainstream. We’ll also likely see the proliferation of mutual aid societies, which started to become more popular during Covid (coinciding with Saturn and then Jupiter in Aquarius). 

Aquarius is also an air sign and rules air technology, so we will likely see changes and innovation in air and space travel. Can we manifest teleportation? I ask as someone who hates flying. Please. Let’s work on teleporting. 

I also think this will be when more is revealed to us about the secrets currently held about life outside of Earth. The recent increase in UFO activity feels very Aquarian, and we may see more signs of life from outside our planet. 

Pluto in Aquarius will also normalize debates and questions that have previously not been part of mainstream discourse. Stuff like, should humans even continue to exist? Is Earth better off without us? Will we welcome aliens if they make their presence known, to help us evolve or to wipe us all out (a la The Three-Body Problem)? 

The good thing is that these massive shifts won’t happen overnight. These things seems super jarring now, but we will get used to these ideas gradually, as these things unfold over the next 20 years. They will become part of our lives, as the changes and challenges of Pluto in Capricorn did, and with Aquarius, at least the goal is for the collective to become better off. Exciting times ahead! 

(All of this is just my opinion, based on my personal interpretation of the planets, what they represent in astrology, and what history tells us. I’m not predicting the future here! Take it all with a grain of salt.)

Week of February 26th: Two Conjunctions

This week, we will be feeling momentum toward and then the apices of two big planetary conjunctions: Venus & Jupiter in Aries and Mercury & Saturn in Aquarius. 

Slightly after midnight EST on March 2nd, Venus will enter a conjunction with Jupiter in Aries at 12 degrees. Venus in Aries is fiery, passionate, sexy, and combustible. The day that Venus moved into Aries, I felt compelled to look up pole dancing classes. My favorite astrology Twitter account referred to it as “hoe era.” Conjunct Jupiter, we’ll see the expansion and spreading of those attributes. 

This transit could lead to burgeoning relationships becoming public or being taken to the next level. The “do now, think later” nature of Aries could mean that some people impulsively get engaged or elope. In Aries, Venus and Jupiter are in a sign ruled by Mars, which is still (yes, still, it’s been MONTHS) in Gemini, so there could be big talk of relationships or relationship changes. This talk may or may not pan out, but Jupiter’s presence means they are more likely to succeed. This transit can also mean sexual sparks flying and/or being with multiple partners. 

It may not be just or all about love and sexual relationships, though. At this time, you may start or grow other relationships that will be influential to you and affect your life in a positive way, or broaden your perspective. Or, existing relationships you have with others, even more casual, acquaintance-type ones, may bear fruit around this time. I’ve updated this post to add a real life example: my husband has been diligently working on getting all the paperwork and applying for his Irish citizenship for the last four years. His eligibility is based on his familial relationships. After years, his citizenship was finally approved and processed–with Jupiter and Venus both transiting and nearing their conjunction in his 4th house of roots, home, and family. Because of his family relationships, he’s able to connect more with his roots and heritage, and expand his home base. Astrology is wild!

This transit, because Venus rules money and what we value, could be lucky in terms of finances. Raises and promotions may come through, or you may just find a dollar on the street. The only minor caution here is to try not to be TOO spendy (Jupiter expands, so expand with money in, not out).

Chiron is also in the mix, within one degree of both planets, and Venus entering an exact conjunction with Chiron the next day, so some of the relationships that form may offer a healing quality to deep emotional wounds from early life. 

At the same time, Mercury is approaching Saturn, and those two planets form a conjunction several hours later in the early morning of March 2nd. This is in Aquarius, Saturn’s sign, so the Saturn influence will be strong on Mercury, and it’s at 29 degrees, the anaretic degree of Aquarius, so it’s mega Aquarian energy. There will be intellectual conversations, with the focus on the world outside of yourself.

On a personal level, this energy also makes for a good time for thinking about the systems and structures of your life and getting organized and practical, but in an inventive way (Aquarius). What can you do to improve the way you think and communicate? What are the systematic steps you can take? And can you use your voice to make things better in the world or community? 

Later on March 2nd, Mercury moves into Pisces, so our communications and our thinking softens, becoming a little more emotionally driven and intuitive. Mercury in Pisces is a great time to write songs and poetry. This week, with Mercury in conjunction with Saturn, with Venus and Jupiter empowering one another, it’s a good time to have potentially tough conversations. 

Next week, on March 7th, Saturn will move into Pisces, on the same day as a full moon in Virgo, which will usher in a major vibe shift. In fact, the entire month of March is about big sign changes, but more on that next week. 

Full Moon in Leo

The full moon in Leo occurs on Sunday, February 5th, at 1:28 pm EST, which means that the moon, which will be at 16 degrees Leo, will be exactly opposite the sun at 16 degrees Aquarius. 

Leo and Aquarius, on opposite sides of the zodiac, have similarities in that they are both fixed signs (along with Taurus and Scorpio), so they are steady, focused, and are able to power through to get things done, but it can also mean they tend to be stuck in their ways. When the sun is in the signs that are fixed, it’s the middle of a season. Aquarius season is smack in the middle part of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and Leo season reigns over the middle of the summer. 

For the most part, though, Leo and Aquarius are quite different. Leos, ruled by the sun, are light sources. Leo is about incandescence; it shines brightly and wants others to see and admire its light. Leo is about the self, but Leos are social creatures and like to be around people. Aquarius, ruled by Saturn, is about the collective. Aquarius cares about humanity but prefers to not engage. Aquarians are often misanthropes who want the world to be a better place. As an Aquarius myself, I feel this.  

With a full moon in Leo, the question that emerges is, how can I use MY talents, MY best self (me me me), to light up the collective and put it to use to make things better for others? So that’s an overarching theme to guide your thinking around this lunation. Full moons are also always about release and shedding the stuff that doesn’t work for us.

This particular full moon is especially volatile because not only is it in a fire sign, but the moon and sun are making a T-square to Uranus, the planet of disruption and surprises, which is still hanging out in the middle degrees of Taurus. Expect the unexpected. 

Here is how the full moon may impact you based on your chart: 

Leo & Leo Rising: This is taking place in your first house of self, so you may be shedding some skin, literally or figuratively. It’s a great time for looking both inward and outward and asking yourself, what do you want to release? Let it go. It could be a few inches of hair or some self-destructive behaviors. This is your opportunity for navel gazing. With the sun heading toward a conjunction with Saturn later this month, the more methodical or structured you can be about any self-care routines, the better they will work for you in the long run. 

Virgo & Virgo Rising: You may be feeling an emotional surge around the full moon. If tension has been building up for you lately, this full moon could bring about an eruption. You may need a good cry. It’s OK, and even recommended, to cancel your plans and be alone if you feel like you need to. It’s a good time to cut the stuff out of your routine that makes you feel unwell. Use this moon to try to rest and recuperate, physically and mentally, from whatever has been troubling you. 

Libra & Libra Rising: This is a good moon for putting yourself out there in your groups and/or your community. Plan a party or gather disparate groups of your friends for a dinner. Venus, your chart ruler, is in Pisces, the sign of its exaltation, so your natural predilection for connecting people and building relationships is especially potent at this time and could lead to some really great things for you, both materially and on a more fulfilling, deeper level. 

Scorpio & Scorpio Rising: The last few months probably felt like a true slog for you, with your chart ruler, Mars, retrograde for a long time, but now all systems are go. This full moon in Leo is happening in your house of career and legacy, and it’s very public-oriented. Leo is all about putting itself on display, so you may find yourself taking some action in your career that thrusts you into the spotlight, or you may have the spotlight thrust upon you. 

Sag & Sagittarius Rising: As a mutable sign, you are no stranger to shifting gears, but you may be feeling extra in flux around this full moon. Have you taken on too much lately? You have so many interests, but you can’t commit to them all, or you would be completely exhausted and fragmented, even though you’re a Sag and flying free-range is your normal M.O. This is a time for whittling down what you’re studying, reading, and writing, to the one or two things that light you up the most. 

Cap & Capricorn Rising: This full moon is taking place in your eighth house of shared resources. You may get an unexpected payment of some sort, or you may be faced with an unexpected bill, or with this occurring in your eighth house, it may be your partner experiencing the financial surprises, good or bad. If you have  not been totally organized and on top of your finances, this could mean some potential tax issues. However, as a Cap/Cap rising, you’re usually pretty good with that stuff or you at least hire someone or rely on someone who is good at it, so I hope this means a windfall for you. 

Aquarius & Aquarius Rising: You’ll be feeling this lunation in your close personal relationships. This full moon is also coming in the aftermath of a square, or 90-degree angle, between Venus and Mars, meaning that there’s a lot of general relationship tension in the air, but you are going to be hit harder with it. Take a break and take a walk if you need some time away from your partner, or let go of the need to return texts and calls immediately.  

Pisces & Pisces Rising: You may be thinking about all the drudgery you have to endure. Working, answering emails, washing dishes, brushing your teeth, working out. Sometimes the prosaicness of daily life can be soul crushing, and you may be feeling this acutely during this full moon. It’s a great time to mix it up. Take action and disrupt your workday patterns. Change the way you work out. Jupiter, your ruler, is in Aries, so kickboxing would be a good option, or something else to get your aggression out. Continue to brush your teeth but maybe get a better toothpaste or better yet, in honor of Aquarius season, an electric toothbrush.

Aries & Aries Rising: If you have someone in your life you want to have sex with, this is a good full moon for doing it, and doing it in a way that’s a little different from your usual. The Venus-Mars square that was causing tension this week, plus the fiery moon, will make for some sexually combustible energy, especially given where it lands in your chart. If you prefer the safest sex, making self love a priority would be a good use of the energy. You may even find that it stimulates your creativity.

Taurus & Taurus Rising: The full moon in Leo is taking place at the bottom of your chart, in the area of your roots. This could mean the culmination of some home-related projects/processes or conversations with family coming full circle. Your chart ruler, Venus, is in Pisces, where it’s exalted, but it recently squared Mars, meaning that you may have been having some tense or fraught conversations with family lately. However, now that Venus is moving past that and through the sign it loves, you should be feeling better in that area and experiencing some replenishing comfort and pleasure in your home and the people around you.

Gemini & Gemini Rising: This full moon is occurring in your third house of communication and the stuff that is local to you, like your neighborhood. It’s hitting upon the things that usually make you thrive, so take it in stride and use its power to have the conversations you feel compelled to have and to try the new restaurant you’ve been wanting to go to. You may want to take or book a quick getaway trip. You also may get some expected news during this time, though, particularly from or related to a sibling. 

Cancer & Cancer Rising: The focus of this full moon is on your money, your resources, and what you value. You may be thinking about the aspects of your job/method of earning money that you don’t love, and it’s a good time to work to get away from those things, even if it’s through incremental changes. Or given Uranus’s interplay with this full moon, you may find big changes in this area naturally coming to you. I’m a believer that you get back what you give, so it doesn’t hurt to give charitably to the causes you care about during this full moon. 

As usual, this is my interpretation of the planetary transits during this time, and I am no psychic, so take this all with a grain of salt! Happy full moon! 

New Moon in Aquarius

There is a New Moon at 1 degree of Aquarius on Saturday, January 21st at 3:53 pm EST. With Mars and Mercury recently completing their retrogrades and now direct, this New Moon heralds what feels like the real start to the new year, finally. It also marks the Lunar New Year, which begins Sunday. We’ll be in the Year of the Rabbit!

I am hoping for an energetic shift with this New Moon. We should be able to feel like we can FINALLY move forward after having to take many steps back. Because Mercury and Mars are both in their retroshades, meaning they are still retracing steps they already took (once forward, then once back), we may be dealing with some decisions that were made or issues that arose when they were retrograde, but we’re putting that stuff to bed now. 

This New Moon is also in a cross-sign conjunction with Pluto, the planet of rebirth, death, and transformation, giving it extra gravity. 

I can see the light of a clear blue morning! (Dolly Parton is a Capricorn [and also the best].)

Here is what the New Moon in Aquarius may bring for the various signs. 

Aquarius & Aqua Rising – The New Moon is in your first house, which gives it extra emphasis for Aquarians, especially if you were born toward the early part of Aquarius season or are an Aquarius rising. This is a time to be self-absorbed in terms of thinking about what it is you want, both for this year ahead and the long term. How do you want to change your life? Now is the time to manifest. Make the list, take the first steps, and think of this as the real New Year for you. 

Pisces & Pisces Rising – This will be a more contemplative New Moon for you. You may be feeling super tired and sleepy, and that’s ok. Focus inward on the things that are really preoccupying or troubling you, and pay attention to the dreams you have on Saturday night and in the next few days. The steps you take toward finding some inner peace at this time, whether it’s meditation or medication or just working out, will likely pay dividends for you in the long run.

Aries & Aries Rising – Aries never needs an excuse to move forward and take action, but this New Moon represents an opportunity to do so with regard to friendships, community, and groups. With Mars, your ruler, now direct and cruising through the area of your chart associated with communication and your neighborhood, you may want to tackle some local problems and join up with local groups or friends to effect change. And since Aries are natural leaders, you may feel called to form your own group. Get out your megaphone! Unionize! 

Taurus & Taurus Rising – This New Moon is in your area of career and legacy, so it’s about prioritizing the mark you want to make on the world. Big, heady stuff. Give some serious thought to what it is you want to do, and if it’s different from what you are currently doing, it’s an auspicious time to take baby steps or big leaps in the direction of what you want. Life is too short to grind away doing something that doesn’t fulfill you.

Gemini & Gemini Rising – With Mars finally moving direct through your sign, you are likely feeling much more energized now and clearer on the areas of your life that merit your focus. You’re ready to go. The New Moon in Aquarius will help you on whatever journey is calling you. Book a trip to Asia, or take the LSAT. This is a really opportune time for making a move toward whatever your next great adventure is. 

Cancer & Cancer Rising – The focus with this New Moon will be on what you give to others, and what you get back in return. How do you share your light? Take stock of how you give your time, energy, and money, and lean into what fulfills and energizes you. Aquarius is about thinking differently and discarding what doesn’t work. This could also be a time when you see your partner finding new financial opportunities, so if they need some encouragement to think differently or take leaps, it’s worthwhile to give them that. 

Leo & Leo Rising – Every time there is a New Moon in Leo, the Moon is conjunct your chart ruler, the Sun. It makes each New Moon a little extra emotional for Leos. This one occurs in your 7th house of partnerships, so the conversations with your partners, be they romantic or platonic, may feel extra emotional, but they will ultimately be cathartic if they are truthful. If you are not in a relationship but hope to be, this is a good New Moon for putting yourself out there, honestly and authentically.

Virgo & Virgo Rising – Alright, your chart ruler, Mercury, is now direct, so that in itself will feel like a relief for you. Now this New Moon in Aquarius offers ample opportunity to break out of your patterns, especially in your work life, and in your health routines. This is like the real New Year for you. If you have been thinking about making commitments to improve your health or change your habits, if you do make those now, they will be much more likely to stick. If you don’t have a standing desk, I recommend investing in one! 

Libra & Libra Rising – With Venus conjunct Saturn also in the area of your chart that is focused on creativity and joy, the New Moon in Aquarius is a time to tackle new creative projects or artistic endeavors. It’s a time to start the manuscript, take a sketch class or dance lessons, or think in a way that’s outside the box about the stuff in your life that has been sapping you of happiness. As Chani Nicholas always says, life is short, have fun!

Scorpio & Scorpio Rising – For Scorpios, this New Moon is occurring at the bottom of your chart, in the area of your roots, childhood, home, and family. So this could be either a more surface-level New Moon for you, where you paint your walls or rearrange your furniture or get a new shower curtain, and even minor home improvement projects will give you some energy. But it’s also a good time to think about your family bonds, and if there is anything you are hoping to work on with those closest to you, or any wounds you want to work through in therapy, this New Moon offers a new beginning for that as well.

Sagittarius & Sag Rising – Time to get creative about your daily life. If you feel like you’re experiencing drudgery or stuck in a rut, change it up! Sagittarius is about learning, seeking new experiences, adventure, and with Mars and Mercury now both direct, seize that opportunity. You may even be called to move to a new neighborhood or city, and if you’re feeling that, this is a good time to go for it. 

Capricorn & Cap Rising – Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, which is still in Aquarius during this New Moon and is forming a conjunction with Venus, the planet of values. This New Moon is a good time to be thinking about making money in new ways. What do you want to be doing as a career, or at least as a way to earn income? If you want to make that align with your passions, or if you are just ready for a shake up, this a good time to make it happen, in a Saturnian, methodical, responsible way, of course.

As always, keep in mind that astrology is not fortune telling, and we all have free will. These are my interpretations of the current sky and how you could take advantage of it, so to speak. Take them with a grain of salt!  

Aquarius: Rewriting the Rules

The sun moves into Aquarius on January 20th, and Aquarius season begins. As an Aquarius myself, with both my Sun and Mercury there, I am partial to Aquarius season even though it’s pretty much objectively the worst time of the year, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. 

Aquarius is the rarest sign, which is appropriate because uniqueness is one of the Aquarian signatures. Aquarius is a sign that is associated with being non-conformist, eccentric, rebellious, and anti-authoritarian, despite its traditional ruler of Saturn. The modern ruler of Aquarius is Uranus. I use both interchangeably. Both are fitting. I think of Aquarius as leaning into the Saturnian values of hard work, responsibility, and thriving through structure and systems. But whereas Capricorn, also ruled by Saturn, is about enforcing the rules, Aquarius, with the Uranian rulership, is about rewriting the rules. And the responsibility felt by Aquarius is on a macro, rather than a micro level; it is a responsibility to what’s right and what is the best for the most people. So if the structures are unjust, those need to be overthrown. 

Aquarius, as an air sign, is also associated with intelligence, but the intelligence manifests itself differently than it does with Gemini and Libra. Gemini and Libra are much more likely to engage. Aquarius hangs back and marvels at how dumb people can be. But those same people deserve more! Judging the individuals but advocating for the group is an Aquarian thing.

There’s a coldness, or at least a coolness, associated with Aquarians. Many come off as detached. Personally, as a Cancer rising with an Aries moon, I don’t really embody this trait so much, but I have noticed it in others with Aquarius placements. For Bravo watchers, think of Ariana from Vanderpump Rules, who is an Aquarius rising. In the early seasons, she confounded Stassi and others because she seemingly didn’t care about being friends with them and kept them at arm’s length. Big Aquarian energy. 

Technology is another primary association with Aquarius, and again, another one that I don’t really relate to that much, but definitely see it when it comes to others. I feel like an analog woman living in a digital world. I’m still using an iPhone 7. But many Aquarians or those with Aquarius placements are tech enthusiasts. Technology can serve as a democratizer and as a progress accelerator, so it makes sense that many Aquarians are early adopters of new technology. 

Taking it back to VPR (always), on the flip side of Ariana, there’s Kristen, who is an Aquarius sun and has some major Aquarian energy too but in a totally different way. I think of Kristen’s pursuit of truth to an unhinged level, literally flying out Miami Girl to prove that Tom Sandoval had committed wrongdoings. Flying someone out is big time Aquarius energy; Kristen literally used air technology to prove someone wrong in a quest for justice and vindication. 

This Aquarius season starts off with a New Moon at 1 degree Aquarius, which also marks the Lunar New Year. More to come on that in a few days.