February 2023 horoscopes for each zodiac sign: Suffering and chaos

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Welcome to February folks and the weird, wonderful heart of the water bearer.

Apropos of Aquarius being a fixed air sign, the breathing conditions for relationships and new initiatives is improving dramatically. This month sees us clearing the shadow of two retrogrades, Mercury and Mars respectively and welcoming Venus into the warm, whiskey scented bath water of Pisces where it is comfortable if not always coherent.

We’ve been in a bit of a star slump since the end of October when the ugh, ick, retrogrades and old trauma settled in for winter. But blessedly, Aquarius season is pouring forth clear waters, and crystal visions and we are all called to fill our proverbial cups to the brim and drink without shame or hesitation. Space and time, boundaries and boundlessness are the great lessons of Aquarius which is ruled by both Saturn and Uranus.

If we consider the zodiac wheel as a journey, a life cycle from birth to death, Aquarius is the second to last step before we dissolve and surrender to another state of being, it's the breath of air and objectivity between the cardinal earth grind of Capricorn and the cumulative, funerary waves of Pisces. In the words of apex Aquarius Virginia Woolf, "When you consider things like the stars, our affairs don't seem to matter very much, do they?"

Aquarius is not afraid to be alone or to look up because it recognizes that solitude and separation are often the midwives of acuity. Aquarius is both the brilliant loner and the tireless humanitarian, it strives to prove that we are at once utterly apart and inherently interconnected.

With one eye on the future and a deep understanding of what the past is built on and from, Aquarius is equally capable of supporting established structures and utterly dismantling them, leading a cult or disappearing into one.

This month, I encourage all of you to cultivate your quirk, defend your independence, pour out your singular genius and get full from the cup that tells you that you are endlessly capable, utterly deserving and absolutely eternal.

After a long, neutered Mars retrograde, your ruling planet and the emblematic jock strap of the universe is finally direct Aries– cue the fist bumps, general genital blood flow and freedom of expression. You’ve got luck and its planet, jolly AF Jupiter transiting your sign this month and its ready to lend air to your sails and power to your purpose. Look alive.

Your ruling planet, fair lady Venus of the soft sheets and good hair, is making moves this month Taurus. Concerned with attraction, assets and aesthetics, Venus begins the month in feelings and finger paints Pisces where it is exalted (all hail) before moving into the death before subtlety sign of Aries. In kind, the first part of the month bodes well for making friends, holding space and forming trust circles but when Venus moves into the fires of Aries, turn your attention inward and toward the cauterization of old wounds.

With your ruling planet Mercury finally moving out of the faux pas, ex entertaining fog of retrograde you too should be feeling clearer, calmer and more competent than you have in a good long while, Gemini. Irish writer and activist George Bernard Shaw maintained "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." With this in mind I urge you to think of expression as an exercise in efficiency and effectiveness. Avoid illusion by getting to the proverbial point clean and quick.

You tend to be ruled by oceanic feels Cancer, while Aquarius, the sign currently ruling the skies, tends to intellectualize emotion and bide time in responding to it. This month, let the bearing of the water bearer be your guide. When you feel activated or agitated, take a beat, take a breath and imagine observing the scene at hand via telescope from a land of future calm presided over by your highest self.

You’ve got a full moon in your sign this month Leo, calling you towards the completion of a long cycle of suffering. This one in particular concerns how you view yourself in relationships and the balance between your need for autonomy and adoration, equitable companionship and absolute worship. My hope is that you have learned you don't need to bargain anything to be loved and anyone that needs convinced of your worth is a piss poor investment.

No one discerns or accomplishes with more exacting elegance than you, Virgo. But, if you’ve felt more in a rut than on the right track as of late, the shake up/break free might come from utter abandon. Plan nothing, say yes to everything and suspend for a spell (they call it a spell for a reason) the notion that you must be doing/producing/plotting/suffering in order to be progressing. As an earth sign you should now more than anyone that most growth takes place underground.

The good good abounds for you this month, Libra. The energy, apropos of St. Valentine's Day is romantic AF and asks you to come correct with flagrant and frequent declarations of love. While your sign is ruled by Venus, planet of attachment and is synonymous with partnerships you often second guess how you feel, waiting for someone to give you permission or provocation. This is that permission slip and that prod. In honor of Cupid's bow string, shoot your shot and show your cards.

It hasn't been easy being you, Scorpio and the past few months may have driven you further into your cave of solitude where the air smells like soot and snake skins. As the sign synonymous with death and rebirth you’re well aware that who you are becoming is always and ever an improvement upon who you have been. Now that you’re taking your first steps into the light and the world at large, you’re glinting with raw newness and it's a beacon for those ready to love your latest incarnation.

The time is nigh for you to explore your relationship with more, Sagittarius. Ruled as you are by high rolling Jupiter you run the risk of conflating excess with satisfaction, want with need and action with progression. Consider the words of mustached sage and lunar Sagittarius, Friedrich Nietzsche, "The mother of excess is not joy but joylessness." What personal deficit is demanding to be filled and how else can it be fed?

I recently gave a Capricorn friend of mine a postcard that featured a sharp dressed man standing tall on an old Cadillac with no rear view mirror. This is the energy I would like you to call into your life this month, sea goat. Looking good with no way to look behind, ever forward, never better.

Happy return of the sun to you, Aquarius. Glad tidings and great news; this is the final month of strict daddy planet Saturn's three year residency in your sign. The teachings of Saturn can be both profound and profoundly punishing but with the tutelage nearly finished, the mood is lifting and it's time to plan a spiritual spring break, I’m not suggesting you take a pocketful of MDMA to Daytona Beach to celebrate and share what you’ve learned with strangers but it's not a bad start.

Love drunk, velvet clad Venus starts the month out in your sign, Pisces. As the resident romantic of the zodiac you may have previously identified the love and attraction quality of the planet and overlooked its sway over the realms of wealth and self-esteem. Time to flip the script, fish. Get financially flirtatious and high on your own hotness. Trade your pining for investing, and the ruin of romance for the promise of personal ROI.

Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars

Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a "girls guide" to strip clubs and the "weirdest" foods available abroad.

Someone who does not share your sense of fun may get angry with you today because they see the current situation in an overly serious light. Don't waste time trying to cheer them up - they quite enjoy their own predictions of doom and gloom.