The air crackles with static in this transition-heavy week. Tension and electricity rattle us to alertness. Welcome to Aquarius season. The excitement starts Thursday and lasts until February 18. As an Air sign concerned with communication and new ideas—and ruled by eccentric, shocking planet Uranus—Aquarius is the weird kid of the zodiac. Aquarius is the sci-fi writer who pens new worlds into being, the unconventional inventor who makes technological breakthroughs in a cluttered lab. In Tarot, Aquarius is The Fool, a character decked out in bright, unusual clothing, skipping toward an unknown horizon. The glyph (astrological symbol) for Aquarius looks like dual waves of water. Makes sense, as the constellation Aquarius depicts a water-bearer. Yet for some astrologers, those two squiggles more accurately symbolize jolts of electricity or radio waves, speaking to Aquarius’ domain: mass communication, satellites, even the Internet.
Because Aquarius is associated with large groups of people and the hastening of social change, it makes sense that the sign rules social media too. Rebellious like Sagittarius, Aquarius is the wild teen coining new slang and insisting there’s a better alternative to the dusty structures and old guard of “how it’s always been.” Capricorn values playing it safe; Aquarius longs to shake things up. Those conflicting priorities will clash this week.
Whenever the Sun shifts, a sign’s final three days spark turbulence and instability around and inside us. Unsettled feelings and the confusion that comes when we are pulled in two directions will splatter our canvas until we’ve acclimatized to the Sun’s new spot. Keep that in mind this week. On a personal level, we each experience a similar effect in the six-week period leading up to our birthday. Just before our own solar return (birthday), we tend to get more introspective and itchy. We feel rundown and vulnerable, because we’re absorbing that year’s many existential lessons and determining what we must do differently. Yet once our birthday Sun finally reaches us, we feel recharged and renewed. Astrologically, the pre-birthday blues are a real thing. Any threshold can feel uncomfortable.
NEW AGENDAS
Transitions of power are happening in the sky and on the ground this week. When the Sun rolls into an Aquarius zodiac zip code on Thursday, it will direct our daily focus toward new matters. Air sign stuff. The Sun influences where our attention goes. It posts new rules on the bulletin board. While the Sun writes the agenda for an entire month, the moon sets the emotional tone, changing signs every two-and-a-half days to really keep things interesting. One day after the Sun’s agenda is set in Aquarius, we’ll witness a transition of Presidential power during Friday’s Inauguration. New agendas are everywhere.
Not only is the Sun changing signs on Thursday, but Mars and Saturn are also engaged in a heated debate. Expect an explosive situation or exchange to really test your patience when Mars tries to push something forward (“I want this!”), but Saturn fiercely blocks those plans (“You can’t have that!”). A similar dynamic may play out in our personal lives or on the world’s stage (probably both). Our personal desires may smack into a brick wall or receive a stern “no” from an authority figure. With the moon in Scorpio—and in a challenging position—on Thursday, people may seem emotionally volatile and extra-reactive. Tread carefully.
Thank goodness Aquarius season’s here, because we’ll need to improvise—not just this week, but throughout 2017 too. If your first plan doesn’t work, switch to Plan B or C. Dream up a Plan Q that doesn’t yet exist. The pace of this year is quick, the story filled with action and feelings. We’ll all require more downtime to rest and digest the fast-moving developments and changes.
DATES TO WATCH
Wednesday the 18th is a good day for finishing projects and moving on. Thursday the 19th heralds the first day of Aquarius season and also sets the scene for blow-ups and disagreements about how to partner. Luckily Friday the 20th offers much-needed relief when Pluto, planet of transformation, has a positive conversation with Venus, planet of love and money. This is a beautiful day for art, the heart, and even discovering new sources of funding. If you’ve been considering a new tattoo or drastic hair change, do it on Friday.
Saturday the 21st has great potential for patching up disagreements (perhaps even smoothing over Thursday’s trouble?) and healing old hurts. A Sagittarius moon on Sunday and Monday invites us to plan a future trip or even take a quick getaway. Monday the 23rd and Tuesday the 24th may deliver some disappointments, but the letdowns will motivate us to find a different way, an alternate route.
spacewitch@seattleweekly.com
