gal-dem horoscopes: Exhale and start fresh this Aquarius season

It’s Aquarius season, and our minds are rapidly pulling us into fantasies that are more tangible than we think. Jupiter, planet of expansion and our successes, is happily cruising through Pisces where it can help us achieve more than we ever thought possible. A few days into the month, there won’t be any planets in retrograde, which gives us space to launch projects and find our footing for the rest of the year.

Let’s run through some dates we want to pay attention to:

February kicks off with a new moon in Aquarius on 1 February that plunges us towards vital recalculations. With retrogrades quickly coming to a close, this final moment of formulation asks you to draw up a new plan for yourself. Make it one that you’re ready to see come to fruition quickly, and have a lasting impact.

Mercury’s retrograde through earthy Capricorn ends a few days later on 4 February, and that long term planning is ready to be put into action. No more daydreaming with the past, and texting exes; our kinetic and mental motion should be focused on future schemes.

Valentine’s Day marks Mercury’s movement into esoteric Aquarius; shifting love languages into more unusual frameworks. Practice painting pictures in your mind of what you could create with your beloved(s). Love someone for who they are, as well as the wider context of what they mean to your life – they’re connected to other types of abundance that fill your cup.

The full moon on 16 February helps you step into the spotlight and claim your place in the communities you’re part of, as well as topple any feelings of imposter syndrome that have crept into your line of vision. This is a great day for manifesting, too, so weave spells around your wishes.

Finally, 18 February brings in the steamy fog of Pisces season and tints everything with rose coloured glasses. Fall in love freely, craft strange artworks, and weep with the moon. Your most tender vulnerabilities are ready to come out and play.

This month I want you to consider what community and futurity make you think about. What are you looking forward to this year? What frameworks are you fighting against, and what are you ready to do differently this time around? Most importantly, who will you do this all with?

“What are you looking forward to this year? What frameworks are you fighting against, and what are you ready to do differently this time around? Most importantly, who will you do this all with?”

Aquarius is the complete rebel of the zodiac who only knows the rules so they can break them efficiently. They see the mind as a bottomless pool that can be filled and refilled endlessly. Infinity is real, thus being keenly aware of what norms and structures govern our world offers context and cunning towards revolution.

Picture a moody teen who constantly asks their teacher what the point of the class learning a mundane maths equation is, or a look of solidarity from a stranger who is as equally over standing in the long queue for their food shop as you are. There is no reactiveness in this rejection, but rather a nod towards questioning and change. Hostility is angled first at an idea.

When we embrace an Aquarian means of rebellion, we use our words first.

Feminist writer and scholar Audre Lorde was an Aquarius sun who wove this idea through all aspects of the critical thought she generated. “Your silence does not protect you,” reads her canonical quote from Sister Outsider, encouraging us to speak against what harms us rather than sitting with fear. Our words are the primary step in the wider act of fighting for justice; condoning that we acknowledge problems as we see them.

Much of Lorde’s writing in Sister Outsider also works with the very Aquarian notion that the world for some people is already in a state of constant apocalypse. Nothing about the future is promised, and amidst this, we must care for ourselves and each other as best we can; making meaning out of each action and reaction.

While this may seem to be a pessimistic framework, it’s actually freeing. From this standpoint, we’re not trying to save an idealistic view of the world from something bad, but rather move forward from the rubble and salvage the good while creating something completely new.

We’re able to conjure so much newness for ourselves this February, and it finally feels like the year has really begun. With this in mind, here are my thoughts for each sign, and some more questions to ask yourself this season:

What has being an outsider taught you?
How do you weaponise words to protect yourself and others?
Who offers you solidarity when you need it most?
What information do you know yourself to be knowledgeable about? (How do you affirm this to yourself?)
How do you handle fear of the unknown (future)?

Aquarius & Aquarius Rising

Have you learned how to take a compliment yet? So much is working in your favour this month, and your talents are about to come under scrutiny. This is your season, Aquarius. Accept the accolades you deserve instead of brushing them off.

Your fears around ego formation can wait until after Jupiter has moved into Aries. For now, find confidence in every stride, and figure out what you’re ready to commit to along the way.

Pisces & Pisces Rising

This is a month of purging and recollecting, dear fish. As you launch new projects and enter a fresh artistic chapter, hold your roots close. Snip away at those straggling feelings and friendships that you felt loosening during the retrograde at the same time that you’re presenting the new “you” to everyone.

Remember that you can move forward while still carrying the past with you; you always do anyway. Your memory is deeper than the ocean, even if it’s only felt in your body. Ancestors will beckon you towards the right path.

Aries & Aries Rising

Let other people’s voices hold weight in your decision making this month, Aries. Practice trusting yourself to trust the right people, rather than moving like an island.

You’re not in this alone. Collaboration and shared experiences are tricky terrain, but at this phase in the game, you’re able to see the best qualities in others. When you mix your leadership skills with the help of team members, magic will happen.

Taurus & Taurus Rising

You’re being asked to be your most responsible self this month, Taurus. Your actions are set to be more visible than usual, so brace yourself to perform for an audience.

Ultimately, the best results will yield when you trust your moral code. Clarity will easily crystalise around what you ‘should’ be doing, so take that ticket when it’s given to you. Simplicity is a strong pillar to stick to when the going gets tough.

Gemini & Gemini Rising

Keeping an open mind is crucial this month, Gemini. As you let your core ideas and ethos crumble before you and be rebuilt by new experiences, it won’t always feel easy, but that journey is worth taking on.

Along the way, offer people the same space and forgiveness that you were once given as you came into your current world view. It’s empathy season, and the more you give to others, the more you’ll find yourself learning, too.

Cancer & Cancer Rising

For you, this month is about emotional rebirth, Cancer. While it’s bad to suppress your feelings, it is possible to create systems around dealing with them when they come up. Treat February like your phoenix moment.

Rise up through the emotional pain that’s haunted you throughout these last months, and seek the advice of your ancestors when the path muddies. Remember that when you’re unsure of what to do, quiet spaces have the answers.

Leo & Leo Rising

The spotlight doesn’t fall on you this time of year, Leo. How do you handle being the support rather than the main character? Especially when it comes to your relationships, this is your time to practice showing up for others.

Devote energy to repairing and reviving your partnerships. Figure out where you’ve lacked as a team member, and step up to achieve the collective goals you share with someone, or your wider community.

Virgo & Virgo Rising

Your drive to execute the hundreds of ideas that you’re sitting on is soaring in February, Virgo. As motivation moves through you, are you able to know when to stop? What’s key in February’s sky is taking your tasks in stride. Just because you can get something done in one night doesn’t mean you should.

Focus on tending to both your satisfaction at work, and your physical health too. The confluence of the two holds the potential to generate your satisfaction and success this month.

Libra & Libra Rising

Your most eccentric ideas want to come out to play this month, Libra. This is your time to push the limits of your creative mind. No looking back in fear, or up at an audience is allowed. You’re called to bring the energy of someone walking down the street of New York City knowing they look hot as all hell.

Embrace the idea that your life might look messy and unhinged from the outside. As long as there’s a rhythm to your reason, whatever flows towards you this month is attached to a wider artistic plan.

Scorpio & Scorpio Rising

The way you show up for your closest friends and chosen family is put to the test this month. As a sign that loves to be choosy with who they love, this is your time to show the people you’ve picked that they are in this with you for the long haul. What can you feel that your tight-knit community needs?

Spend time finding new ways of expressing yourself in the home and intimate spaces in February. When you find yourself fearing intimacy, run towards it even faster.

Sagittarius & Sagittarius Rising

When you make changes to your rituals and routines, your whole life can subtly shift around you. This month, those changes won’t be subtle as you alter aspects of your day. Call and response times are quick this February, Sag, so it’s up to you to start implementing the work to shift your vision.

Stay open to new connections in February, and emphasise the importance of your social network in your actions. Rep your friends as hard as you do your own brand.

Capricorn & Capricorn Rising

This February levels up the type of stability you’re able to generate for yourself, Capricorn. Your already sturdy vibes thrive under the Saturnian influence of this month, and help you to manifest the level of fiscal you’ve been inching closer to day by day.

Trust the process, and put in the work as usual. Basically, keep moving on that long term plan you’ve been slowly unfolding through the most recent retrogrades. They’re worth staying focused and committed to.