Oh, Aquarius. This Friday, January 24th, we have our first non-Eclipse New Moon in possibly the most paradoxical sign of the Zodiac—Aquarius. Like all New Moons, the period following it marks a time of fresh starts and new beginnings in whatever sign it falls in. Aquarius is living, breathing Idea Factory, with brains that produce so much and move so quickly all at once that it’s often exhausting just trying to keep up.

Aquarius 101: Never Boring

Falling in the first decanate of Aquarius, this Sun-Moon conjunction is ruled by planet Uranus, amplifying the outwardly erratic and nervous qualities of the sign as well as its brilliant humor and genius ideas. Freedom is of great importance to Aquarius, both personally and professionally, as wherever Aquarius falls in your birth chart describes the area where there’s a need to break with tradition and “do your own thing.”

Yet whatever Aquarius lacks in a certain Calmness, they make up for in Originality. Constantly making rules for themselves but uncomfortable enforcing any on others, they tend to end up inventing their own way of doing things—which is why they usually end up spending considerable time alone, especially in early life.

Feeling weird, outcast or unaccepted in youth leads Aquarius to create their own worlds, filled with imagination and rarely (if ever) boring. “Never boring” does have its downsides though, as the attention Aquarius gets for doing something, ahem, “unique” can be both negative and positive.

This, in turn, is the reason most Aquarians are seemingly detached yet somewhat paranoid, rarely letting others into their inner circle while making concerted efforts to keep even alleged admirers at arm’s length.

Friendship, Social Media & The Paradox of Uniqueness

Aquarius is a paradox, even to themselves. As an Air sign, they’re chock full of brilliant ideas, pithy brand names and uncannily accurate predictions when it comes to future trends. In fact, Aquarius and the 11th house are associated with “Branding” in Astrology, as well as large groups, organizations and Social Networking (including Social Media). 

Aquarius is also symbolic of Friendship—a topic most Aquarians are equally obsessive yet ambivalent about. What it means to be a “good friend” is of great concern to them; yet, known as the most rebellious astrological sign, what most don’t realize is that Aquarius may be notorious “blurters,” often putting proverbials foots in mouths but loathe even the faintest notion of confrontation.

Bob Marley—Aquarius born February 6th—is a perfect example of this. In the chaos of a newly post-colonial Jamaica, Marley was a much-needed voice of Peace, but was careful to make clear his disinterest in Politics. Even when pressed to speak on his views, he was consistently concise in such discussions, as the essence of his message was simple: “Let’s stop killing each other.”

The Art of Gaslightingting // the Allegedly “Crazy” Truth-Teller

So can Aquarius follow rules? Yes. But being privy to abuses of power, usually at quite a young age, Aquarius becomes conditioned, learning through (often-painful) experience that if you don’t stand up for yourself, no one will. So if no one else will, Aquarius will—even when it entails the uncomfortable act of speaking Truth to Power.

Oprah Winfrey—born January 29th—is yet another powerful embodiment of the Aquarius Truth-Teller.

But what most don’t consider is that it’s not fun—in fact, it’s often flat out dangerous—to be the one calling bluffs, especially to those who “need” your opinion yet live in fear of speaking it themselves, as some can’t even bear hearing it spoken out loud.

Gaslighting is a favorite tactic others often employ to bring Aquarians down, infusing them with self-doubt and playing on their hidden, generally low opinion of themselves to silence them.

So as much as Aquarius gives to the world, they often have to strive incredibly hard to believe in themselves, as they’re typically called Crazy by (literally) almost Everyone.

Thus Aquarius is branded Rebellious, not due to an alleged love of confrontation but bothered, if not incensed, when Injustice occurs without consequence. 

Mercury Sextile Mars: Mental Force of Will

With the Sun, Moon and Mercury all in Aquarius at this New Moon, ideas are popping up right and left in this January - early February period of 2020, putting spotlights on areas in need of change, reform and re-structuring in our lives. This is especially true with Mercury, exalted in the sign of Aquarius, sharpening our intellects, forming a nearly exact sextile to Mars in Sagittarius.

Any planetary pairing involving Aquarius and Sagittarius is a particularly outgoing and friendly one, inspiring us to communicate as well as act on even our wildest ideas.

Britney Spears—a Sagittarius Sun with an Aquarius Moon—too is still considered a Pioneer of Pop Music, constantly pushing limits and experimenting, even if only for the Shock Value that comes with “Living One’s Truth,” so to say.

The sextile is an astrological aspect signifying Opportunity, so with Mercury in Aquarius combining forces with Mars in Sagittarius, we’re driven toward opportunities that allow our most idealistic, if not eccentric ideas can be put into practice. 

Because the way Aquarius “manifests” is through sheer force of (mental) will, chanting mantras and repeating whatever it is they want until they’re blue in the face—either until That Thing comes to pass, or they (eventually) pass out.

And while Sagittarius is Mutable (adaptable), Aquarius is Fixed (obsessive), meaning that whatever we dream of doing (Mars in Sagittarius) has incredible potential to become a reality (Mercury in Aquarius).

Look at Michael Jordan: Born February 9th, he’s an Aquarius Sun with a Sagittarius Moon, and is credited even now as having single-handedly re-invented the game of Basketball.

And while R. Kelly will likely end up a Jailbird (can’t really fly in there), MJ decided he wanted to fly long before that song was made. So he just…did it.

In many ways this is the story of the Aquarius Life: if we obsess enough about anything—even if it involves literally hurling our bodies through the Air (sign)—it’s more than likely it’ll happen. 

At this New Moon in Aquarius, it’s important we keep this in mind. Where there’s a will there’s a way, they say, and this is most certainly the case in the coming few weeks—particularly when it comes to Relationships in all shapes and forms...

New Moon Square Uranus: Relationship Revelations

By far the most intense, or disruptive, aspect to this New Moon (Sun-Moon conjunction at 4° Aquarius) is its tense square to planet Uranus at 2° of Taurus, forcing us to individuate and question our most (seemingly) steadfast relationships, compelling you to recognize the ones that are not so much stabilizing as they are, well, a Norm-core kind of Bore. 

For instance, with the Sun and Moon in the 7th house of any chart, there’s usually a dependency issue when it comes to Relationships that could do with some sorting out—possibly an unconscious defining of ourselves via our Social Circles (Aquarius) and/or a Committed Partnership (7th house). 

Have we been giving up too much of ourselves to others without getting much in return? Or is it us that has to give a little more, pitch in, pick up the phone, or make more of an effort in some way shape or form?

Either way, Uranus, the planet of sudden awakenings and (sometimes harsh) truths, will shake up whatever you thought was stable in your life, making us uncomfortably aware of the source(s) of tension in the Air.

You may discover something unsavory that you may’ve seen before but decided either to overlook or just not to say anything about. Whatever comes up for you, any social circles or partnerships we’ve been hiding from, behind, or using to define ourselves are called up for questioning now.

Aquarius vs.Taurus: Resolution-Obsessed or Passive-Aggressed?

Fixed squares—or square aspects that occur between two of the four Fixed signs (in this case, Taurus and Aquarius)—are the most challenging yet rewarding once overcome.

Aquarius wants stability but refuses to settle (read: keep their mouths shut), needing to talk out every thought bubble in their endless quest for resolution. This can overwhelm anyone—especially Taurus—as the Aquarius mind moves so quickly and sharply that it’s often too much even for them to process.

Ironically, as a fellow Fixed sign, Taurus, too, craves stability. But Taurus usually either lacks the courage or (more likely) refuses to devote their precious time or energy, often failing to confront even the slightest pet peeve.

But what Taurus doesn’t realize is there’s a method to the Aquarius madness, as addressing interpersonal snafus as they come up takes far less precious Time & Energy in the long-run. So while Aquarius indeed needs to learn how not to blurt, Taurus’ infamous penchant for The Silent Treatment—not to mention other Passive-Aggressive behaviors—does nothing but alienate others, only hardening the conflict by choosing to forgo any truthful, healthy dialogue. This in turn intensifies dissatisfaction on both sides, as the idea of Conflict Resolution fades into the ether and a distance continues to grow that makes circumventing future conflict almost impossible.

But on top of this, it’s easier and faster to address hurtful words or actions in the moment. This way, we can all move onto the next activity, (relatively) unscathed—or at least knowing that if something hurtful is brought up, it’s not the end of the world, or even a critique.

So please: With this New Moon in Aquarius, it’s high time you put away your dirty looks, “unfollows” and not-so-subtle snide remarks—even if they are muffled, coming from the Cheap Seats in the back.

This is the wisdom of Aquarius. For however poor their delivery, Aquarius is terrible with (or at least dreads) Conflict. This is why they go to such great lengths to address every problem, knowing intuitively that though they may cause a stir, they’re willing to risk it if it has even the slightest potential to save themselves the aggravation and despair of damaged relationships and energy wasted on Silences the size of Mount Everest. Because it’s this that saves them from far more intense, emotionally-draining dramas in the long-run.

With Venus ruling the 7th and 4th houses of this New Moon chart, reliance on relationships is clearly a theme. So what do we do when we realize a relationship’s gone stale and all the other grapes look sour?

At this New Moon, it’s about finding a way to release the recent emotional baggage of the highly-charged Cancer Eclipse without, well, freaking out.

Venus-Neptune sextile Jupiter: Creating Good Karma

Luckily we have Venus on our side now, helping to smooth the relationship bumps and bruises. Venus, known in ancient astrology as one of two “benefic” planets, is exalted in the dreamy, romantic sign of Pisces, blessing us with the elusive and rare power of Unconditional Love.

Venus in Pisces is not only conjunct Neptune at this New Moon, but forms an aspect of Opportunity—a sextile—to Jupiter in Capricorn. This aspect is one of Abundance when it comes to Love and Money, as Venus in Pisces elevates the materialistic side of Jupiter in Cap, softening its more acquisitive side and prompting us to recognize that investing in our own futures benefits us just as much as investing in others.

Like Capricorn, Pisces is associated with Karma, albeit in a less tangible sense. For instance, Capricorn karma is more concrete: you put money in a high-yield savings account, some kind of mutual fund or IRA, and you’ll (presumably) have a nice chunk of change when you retire. But Pisces karma runs deeper, like when you put money away for your grandchildren to go to college.

The latter example is more selfless in the purest sense of the word; yet with it comes a gamble. With Neptune/Pisces, we’re called to re-invest not our Money but Ourselves, not in the Stock Market but in People—and this requires not only Generosity but Trust. Though we learn to appreciate what we have, it opens up our Willingness to Give, which in turn increases our personal Power of Attraction. 

Mars Square Venus-Neptune: Don Juan v. Blanche DuBois

No matter what the case or your personal circumstance may be, the Venus-Mars square involving both Jupiter and Neptune = Seriously Hot & Spicy Fantasies. So even though our social lives and close relationships demand forgiveness, re-structuring, recalibration and possibly some downsizing, this Aquarius New Moon is filled with opportunity—Romantically and Socially.

This is because Mars, planet of sexual drive and instinct, is in fiery Sagittarius in the 5th house of this New Moon chart, driving us to pursue our most idealistic (romantic) objectives, on both Creative and Sensual levels. We’re artistic, romantic crusaders with Mars in Sagittarius in the 5th house, with Mars playing the role of the proverbial Don Juan to Venus in Pisces’ Blanche DuBois. 

So, win-win, right? Well, yes and no. While there’s certainly a beautiful opportunity to seize here when it comes to attracting, creating or enhancing our relationships, when it comes to Romance in particular, we must be careful not to overindulge, over-commit or over-compromise.

And while there may be spurned advances to contend with, with Mars square Venus in Mutable signs, the only possibility of Paradise Lost would be if we lose sight amid the fog of having one too many “options.”

Mars in Sagittarius is kind of a contradiction in itself: Mars is goal-directed and drives us to pursue True Love—our singular Object of Desire. Sagittarius, though, is the Crusader, if not the Goldilocks of the Zodiac, wanting to travel the world, try out every possibility and pursue every option, not realizing they may be left with spades of experience but ultimately loveless.

This seems unlikely though, as Venus in Pisces (especially conjunct Neptune) creates Fantasies Aplenty, but Venus sextile Jupiter in Capricorn offers the potential to make them a Reality.

Whether we choose to take this opportunity or not, this energy gives us all a rare and much-needed glimpse into a Romantic Future for ourselves that’s realistic without being depressing, and idealistic without being delusional. 

The Punchline?

Quit obsessing over your Bitcoin balance, compulsively Q-tipping your eardrums, or cleaning up after others, and a GD take a personal day. This New Moon in Aquarius is a time to reinvent ourselves and reinvigorate our social lives. So stir up a Love Spell, and pursue whatever/whoever it is that lights your fire. Take a chance, Make a change. Be like Mike, etc. Just don’t be Boring...Because when it comes to Anything (and Everything) Aquarius? You’ll very quickly regret it.