By Angel Lopez:
February finds us smack dab in the center of Aquarius Season, a time when inspiration, innovation, and vision look for a place at the forefront of our lives. It’s when we can take all of those start-of-the-year goals and infuse them with excitement and creativity as they move toward the next level.
Aquarius is ruled by the planet Uranus, which is concerned with revolution and change. It’s the planet that rules sudden moves and chaos as well, so at times, we can find ourselves thrust into situations or environments that push us out of our comfort zone.
However, they’re ultimately calling us to engage with an aspect of ourselves necessary to the next phase of our personal growth. We need to rise up and tackle the tasks needed to manifest our vision. We need to go out into the world and connect with those who can help us along the path toward our goals. And, we need to be bold in how we communicate our ideas, knowing that no one else has said or done what our truest self wants to express.
On February 9th, there’s an inviting Leo Full Moon, which offers the opportunity to release some of your latest creations out into the world.
Is there some sort of offering you can give that allows others to see a truer expression of you?
This could be a piece of art, writing, or a personal project that you’ve been toiling away at that’s now ready to be seen by more eyes. This could even be a gorgeous meal that’s intended to bring some loved ones together. Whatever the case, utilize this time to showcase a piece of you. Taking action that puts you more vulnerably out into the world is also an act of self-love. You’re showing yourself that you matter and deserve to be seen. So, at this time, even if you don’t have some great offering to make, you can take steps toward pursuing a passion or goal. Make some time to put you first, but with the inner knowledge that what you’re pursuing does have a greater goal for the collective in mind. And if it doesn’t, go within and connect to the selfless energy of your goals. Fueling your own motivations with a desire to help others will throw some gas onto the flame and benefit yourself and others in a stronger way.
Mercury will begin its first retrograde phase of this year on February 17th. But we’ll start to get a sense of what this period is all about come February 2nd, when Mercury hits 28 degrees Aquarius and enters its shadow phase. As a reminder, the shadow phase is when Mercury initially hits the degree it will retrograde all the way back to during this cycle. So that means that on the 17th, it will retrograde at 12 degrees Pisces and make its way back to that 28 degrees point in Aquarius. But that won’t happen until the second week of March. During that shadow phase leading up to the 17th, notice what topics become the center of communication for you. Also, consider the house in your chart where you have 28 degrees Aquarius through 12 degrees Pisces. It’s that area or those areas where you’ll be asked to slow down and reflect, renew, reconsider, reengage, or reignite. Again, those first two weeks of February will lay a lot of hints in your path around what challenges or opportunities this retrograde wants to bring your way, so keep an eye out.
A Mercury retrograde through Pisces asks us to probe even more deeply than we’d normally consider. If we have to revisit old scenarios, do so with an open heart, mind, and spirit. The latter of those three is what we usually leave out of any decision-making moment—but during this time, it may be the most important.
Venus, the planet that rules our relationships with beauty, art, and others, will start the month off in Pisces, where it’s been since the middle of January. But about a week into February, Venus will make its way into Aries, a sign it isn’t entirely comfortable being in. The aggressive energy of Aries just doesn’t always gel well with the softer, more traditionally feminine vibes of Venus. Therefore, this combo can heat things up in your relationships, and not always in the best way. There can be a volatile nature to your connections at this time. Everyone’s point of view wants to be heard and recognized. But the underlying tone here is passion, which, coupled with the energy of that aforementioned full moon, can bring some forward movement in your personal projects—again, it's just important not to bowl over anyone else in the process. Venus will also make some challenging aspects at the end of the month to the greater changes you’ve been trying to manifest since the middle of last year. People may feel like roadblocks or will push you to stand up in ways you didn’t feel ready to.
Do your best not to get hasty with anyone. Instead, stand in your power. You belong in any of the rooms you end up in. Do not let anyone else try to absorb the light that’s meant for you.
Mars will be in Sagittarius until February 17th, the day that Mercury takes its pivot. So, continue to take actions toward your higher goals. Approach experiences as opportunities for personal growth. Be willing to learn as much as you can be willing to teach.
Take a little trip if you can. Lands that are foreign to your day to day—even just a car ride away—can open your eyes to personal truths you couldn’t see clearly or consider before. This is still somewhat of an absorption phase. You’re taking in information to help inform the blueprint for the life to come.
The second half of this month is geared more toward production and output.
You’ll be taking even more steps to actualize the visions you’ve been compelled to dream. It will be time to start making them even more real.
Forward progression is the cosmic plan at hand. All the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) are moving direct, aiding our steps like an unseen hand. Jupiter is trying to grow all the dreams for new structures we put into place last year. It’s having to amplify some of the decisions we made, which at times may make some feel like failures. But, it’s also there to cushion the fall and to show us that we can rebuild if we believe in our greater goal.
Saturn is urging us to keep growing up in ways we didn’t know we still had to. We have no choice but to be grown-ups now.
Pay attention to the areas in your life where you’ve had trouble manifesting and take responsibility for where you may have been creating the muck that you’re stuck in.
We still have most of this year to release any old habits, fears, or self-limiting beliefs that have been keeping our next chapter at bay. But this month is a good time to be pushing yourself forward: To be having the difficult conversations. To be taking the scary leaps. And, to be believing in yourself in ways that you never thought you could.
Angel Lopez is a film producer, writer, astrologer, and co-host of the podcast, THE SPIRITUAL GAYZ alongside his husband, our Spiritual Guru Brandon Alter. Angel has been studying and working with both tarot and astrology for twenty years. He hosted the astrology web-series, ASTRO TALK WITH ANGEL, and writes the blog ASTROLOGY REALNESS. He has also had pieces published on Upworthy.com and The Huffington Post.
On the film side, Angel produced the Sundance Film Festival award winning film DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, as well as the features THE DINNER and STATE LIKE SLEEP. He also wrote and directed his own short film, I CAN’T WITH YOU, which had its premiere at the 2016 HollyShorts Film Festival, and he recently finished producing filmmaker Justin Simien’s second feature, BAD HAIR.