Star Stuff: February Horoscopes
This month, astrology editor Ilana Kozlov reveals what the Leo full moon and Aquarius eclipse have in store.
Words by ILANA KOZLOV
The Leo full moon is an outburst. It’s the song of a wild animal. Leo is ruled by the sun, and the sun reveals what the night obscures. It is honest and clear. It doesn’t mislead the senses. It provokes an allergy to confusion and inspires undeniable emotions. There is no need for a complicated adventure. Leo spots the whereabouts of truth within itself: The mind is not madly expended, nor is the body excessively indulged. The soul rests, which means the soul laughs and eats. Abstractions will starve and bore us, so it’s time to make things very clear.
What do you give a shit about? What do you get out of bed for every day? Treasure and share the wilderness of your heart with others. Tell those around you about the glue that tacks the mind to the body to the soul. And if anything has severed these parts from each other, make war against it. Be brave in the face of ghosts and distortions. Do not let them exile knowledge from the heart. The Leo moon can be a passionate kiss or a mouth full of dangerous teeth. Anything you want it to be, really, as long as it’s a successful encounter with fear.
Later, on Feb. 17, we will see a solar eclipse in Aquarius, the polarity of Leo. The eclipse is intense because it is about getting swallowed. There is a Hindu story about Lord Vishnu, the supreme preserver, cutting a defiant demon named Svarbhanu into two parts as punishment for stealing the nectar of immortality and getting drunk on the promise of power. These parts became Rahu (the head) and Ketu (the body). Rahu and Ketu mark two points where the moon’s orbit crosses the Earth’s orbit around the sun, giving us solar eclipses. Rahu and Ketu oppose the will of the divine, so the closer the sun, or moon, moves toward them, the more they struggle for power and light. This month’s solar eclipse ushers in a new moon, and new moons are all about fresh starts. Prepare to struggle for—or be surprised by—an unexpected beginning. After all, Aquarius is a nameless, faceless character, only made apparent by its contrast to convention. It just stands there, outside of the crowd.
Do you join in? While Leo passionately declares yes, Aquarius unsympathetically maintains no. Ask yourself, What can rejection and defiance be the beginning of for you?
“What do you give a shit about? What do you open your mouth for? Why do you get out of bed every day? Treasure and share the wilderness of your heart.” — Ilana Kozlov
Aquarius is a nameless, faceless character, only made apparent by its contrast to convention. It’s just standing there. But sometimes all it takes to antagonize a crowd is to stand there. So what is the crowd doing and why aren’t you doing it? While Leo passionately declares yes, Aquarius unsympathetically maintains its no. Is this “no” your fresh start? What could rejection be the beginning of for you?
Aries rising
Hedonism is a bandaid. The closer you move towards pain, the more you learn about joy. Sure, the sadness can feel eternal, until it doesn’t. You know when you’re crying and your friend makes you laugh? How brilliant is that laugh? The world can become something new, just like that.
Taurus rising
I’m thinking about the heart as a cave. You’re holding a golden lantern up to a spider’s home, an ancient drawing, your muddy shoes. You’re not alone: You’re befriending your mysterious heart, which you realize is everywhere and in everything that makes the world matter to you.
Gemini rising
What if nothing was confusing. What if the dense, leafy maze you’re in was lifted whole, and an open prairie appeared before you instead? What you see is a wonderful thing to study. Observation leads to ideas, and the universe is waiting to see what you do with yours.
Cancer rising
Some cultures celebrate death, while others avoid it. Think about how you approach mortality, then think about the last time you lost something; it could be as silly as your ID card or as serious as a friendship. Give this loss a shape and a shrine.
Leo rising
Your strength isn’t a vanity project, but it’s not hiding under a baggy T-shirt either. A lot depends on you—for yourself, and for other people too. Everyone’s hopes and dreams are in the mix, but management isn’t really your schtick. You’re just hoping everyone can take off in a new direction.
Virgo rising
Where is the “not yet” in your life? Maybe it’s something you’ve been secretly tending to, or an idea yet to be willed into existence. There’s something you’re sitting on, and it’s important to get other people involved, particularly in the hard work.
Libra rising
Imagine a room full of people applauding each other just for showing up. Encouragement goes a long way, especially if you struggle to acknowledge your own efforts. Actually, fuck effort. I’m just happy you’re here. Celebrate something. Celebrate anything—even better if you have no reason to.
Scorpio rising
Burial sites are time machines, so make a time capsule. Put today in it, then put it in the ground. If today was angsty, seal the frustration inside for the future to find. Whether it’s discovered is irrelevant. Use the earth as your telephone: vent to it, confess to it, give it your million-dollar ideas.
Sagittarius rising
I kept my cutlery in a wildly impractical drawer for six years, and then I moved it. For a month after, I kept reaching for the old drawer out of habit. Play a trick on yourself, and make the mundane less predictable. It’s good for your brain. It’s also magic, believe it or not.
Capricorn rising
What do you have? Count it. Sort it. Stare at it for an obscene amount of time. Maybe it’s the food in your fridge. Maybe it’s the cash under your mattress. Maybe it’s the stuff in that box you can’t get rid of. Then use it—maybe in ways that extend beyond the self.
Aquarius rising
I once saw a tomato growing from a crack in a parking lot. I was transfixed by this small fruit tangled in litter. A peculiar, unexpected miracle. Make a big ring with your arms and become a pot. Your only job is to host the miraculous friendship between dirt, sunlight, rain, and seed. Exciting change is coming.
Pisces rising
A long time ago I came upon an abandoned spa in a forest. There were things there that didn’t make sense, like cabins with books stacked to the ceiling. Let the ruins be your playground. When something is half of what it used to be, the imagination runs wild.