We begin February in the wake of two eclipses, which triggered deep purification and new beginnings at the start of the year. Now, the planets are pushing us forward, helping us evolve, rebuild, and take action. Our passions and discontent may be high this month, but they’re helping us break out of stagnant patterns so we can find whole new footing.

One of the year’s biggest transits arrives this month—Chiron moving into Aries, where he’ll stay for seven years. We’re closing a fifty-one year cycle of healing and beginning a new one, which starts within ourselves. We’re learning to feel more confident in our vulnerability as we face our wounds and become more whole.

Significant Venus and Mars transits also occur this month, adjusting our direction, love lives, creativity, and interpersonal dynamics. We’re releasing the past and quickly laying foundations to become better people and more updated versions of ourselves. We’re learning to be more honest, awake, and authentic, as we care more for ourselves, each other, and the collective whole.

VENUS ENTERS CAPRICORN

On February 3, Venus, planet of love and beauty, enters pragmatic Capricorn. Just before, she squares Chiron in the last degree of Pisces. We’re healing our divides, then moving into a new phase of rebuilding our relationships to love, self-worth, and creative pursuits. Discernment is key as we tread carefully, determining what to commit to for the long haul, and how we will better show up for each other. We’re learning to work together, while also letting go of superfluous, selfish, or harmful indulgences.

AQUARIUS NEW MOON

An auspicious New Moon arrives on February 4, at 15° Aquarius. The Moon is conjunct Mercury and sextile Jupiter. Here, we close the eclipse portal and move forward with an eye toward the future and our collective pursuits. Only positive angles surround this Moon. Not only is it supporting us personally, it’s also aiding our efforts toward working together as a society. Falling exactly between Saturn and Neptune, the planets of tangible reality and dreams, we have the chance now to envision our dreams and apply the practical tools we need to achieve them.

MARS CONJUNCT URANUS

Mars conjuncts Uranus on February 13, at 29° Aries. Mars is the planet of drive, sexuality, action, and masculinity, while Uranus rules sudden disruptions, revolution, and breaking free. In Aries, this conjunction is helping us liberate from unhelpful ideas around masculinity and who we are in general. At the same time, we’re raising our sights from our own individual pursuits to the collective whole.

How can we break free from our anger? How can we become more authentic versions of ourselves? And how will we work together, in community and friendship, for the sake of the greater good?

We might decide to take a risk now, leap into inspired action, or express the truest version of ourselves, which we’ve been holding back. Uranus works instantly, so this transit could also indicate sudden, unpredictable turns of events.

CHIRON ENTERS ARIES

On February 18, Chiron enters Aries—the most significant transit of the month. Chiron is the Wounded Healer, who points to our deepest pain and vulnerability for the purpose of healing. With this shift, we’re wrapping up a 51-year Chiron cycle. Themes from 1967 could reemerge, as we begin a new phase of healing ourselves, the Earth, and society. Aries is also the sign of masculinity, and we’re now entering a phase of healing our inner masculine, establishing more compassionate leadership, and finding more courage to express our tenderness.

VIRGO FULL MOON

On February 19, a Full Moon arrives at 0° Virgo while trining Uranus. This Full Moon is helping us clean up our bodies, minds, and spirits. We’re learning to develop a healthier sense of self, while reorganizing our feelings of worthiness, how we see ourselves, and how we care for ourselves on a mundane level. Virgo rules purification and humble service, and we’re ready to jolt into greater concern for our own health and well-being so we can offer ourselves more fully to others. This is a beautiful time to sit in meditation and connect with our stillness, breaking free of mental chatter and unnecessary self-criticism.

VENUS CONJUNCT PLUTO + THE SOUTH NODE

The month ends with Venus conjuncting Pluto on February 23, and the South Node on February 26. After a month of slowing down and making efforts toward establishing more discernment around our relationships and desires, we now reach a climax. We’re transforming our inner feminine and magnetizing our greatest desires from a place of integrity. We’re releasing the past—moving away from parental, societal conditioning, and the shackles of patriarchy, in order to empower a greater sense of heart, beauty, and creativity. Venus rules Taurus, so this is a fortuitous purification just before Uranus enters Taurus early next month.

So much is changing, and we may barely recognize who we’ve become. But if we’re working with the planets, we will likely feel much stronger now as we’ve learned to love ourselves more, and anchor more deeply to the Earth. We’re also becoming more honest with ourselves and each other, and more authentic in our expressions. At the same time, we’re caring more for the collective whole as our hearts open wider to the truth of our interconnection.

FEBRUARY 2019 SUMMARY

February ignites powerful passions and discontent, which are helping us break out of old patterns and outmoded versions of ourselves. We’re learning to harness our creativity and brilliance, finding new ways to orient toward our minds, lives, and each other. The month begins with a beautiful Aquarius New Moon, which pushes us to grow into the next version of ourselves, while supporting us in making our dreams a reality. With Mars conjunct Uranus, our courses could abruptly change. However, we're ultimately being called to take inspired action, to leap into the future without needless fears or inhibitions. With Capricorn in Venus, we’re slowly and steadily rebuilding our relationships while developing more integrity and discernment around love, finances, and creative pursuits. We might ask ourselves: What do we desire, and what practical steps can we take to build our visions of what could be? As the month ends, we’re letting go of the past, particularly around relationships, while powerfully manifesting whatever we’ve been setting our sights on. It’s important to be careful of where we exert ourselves, what choices we make, and what karma we create. We’ll be powerfully shifting into whole new energies next month, when Uranus moves into Taurus and begins to solidify our future.

Surrounded by snow, may the electric cold jolt us into the next phase. May we find the courage to become better versions of ourselves—kinder, freer, more honest, and more aware of our oneness and interconnection. 

My book, The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology, is now available for purchase.