The Week Ahead (2.12.24 through 2.18.24)
On Valentine's Day, powerful planetary ingresses, and the first day of Pisces Season.
The Astrology Forecast
Missed last week’s forecast? Read it here!
Hi friends! How was last week’s New Moon in Aquarius? Did you receive any surprising insights? Embark on a new, inspiring path? Engage in essential healing work? I hope the New Moon imbued you with a sense of personal agency and faith in the future.
This week is packed with planetary ingresses (the moment when a planet enters a new zodiac sign), meaning the cosmos are being revitalized with fresh celestial energy. Mars and Venus are waltzing into Aquarius, so the innovative vibes continue to be strong. However, at the end of the week, the Sun pivots into Pisces (HBD, you beautiful, sensitive souls!), which will begin to shift the planetary narrative from progress to compassion.
Valentine’s Day falls on Wednesday, and while I love this holiday, I understand that it can be a complex time for people. No matter your relationship status with the holiday of romance, Mars’ and Venus’ entrance into Aquarius and the Sun’s entrance into Pisces provides us with a potent and important invitation: Continue to question how we, as individuals and as a collective, conceptualize, utilize, and fortify love. What does love mean to you? How do you define it and embody it? What role does love play within your personal life? Within the communities you’re a part of? Within the collective at large? Is love the powerful, revolutionary force we hope for it to be?
On Tuesday, February 13 at 1:05AM ET, Mars leaves tenacious Capricorn—where it’s been camping out since January 4—to fuse with future-oriented Aquarius. Mars is in exaltation in Capricorn, so this is a powerful shift. It’s considered to be an “honored guest” in the Saturn-ruled sign associated with resourcefulness, longevity, drive, and an iron-clad work ethic.
Now that Mars is entering Aquarius, our sense of motivation and determination shifts gears in surprising ways. While this position isn’t traditionally considered to be as optimal as Mars in Capricorn, it certainly isn’t a bad thing—changes in perspective are absolutely essential so that we can continue to learn and grow.
Mars is the planet of action, determination, motivation, vitality, and confrontation. In the birth chart, Mars sheds light on what motivates you, the ways in which you take action, what defines your vitality, and how you express your anger.
In Aquarius—the fixed air sign associated with ingenuity, humanitarianism, and matters of the mind—Mars is independent, willful, clever, and innovative, constantly negotiating the distance between the self and the world at large. It’s energized and inspired by intellectual pursuits, and is on a mission to cultivate greater freedom and individuality—for both itself and others. While it can come across as reserved and introspective, it holds strongly to its opinions, and is committed to taking action in alignment with its ethics.
For the next five-weeks, until March 22, the influence of Mars in Aquarius will inspire you to wield your energetic output in innovative, dynamic ways. During this time, our creative problem solving skills are heightened, and our minds are well-attuned to big-picture thinking. It’s a great time to tackle puzzling issues, advocate for necessary reform (personally, professionally, or collectively), and brainstorm inspiring ways to improve the systems in your life and the lives of others.
We’re all familiar with Aquarius’ signature detachment, which stems from its desire to prioritize progressive pursuits over mundane reality (I mean, who cares about doing dishes when there are real problems to be solved in the world?) Likewise, Mars in Aquarius is more focused on collective rather than interpersonal dynamics, so be mindful of accidentally giving someone the cold shoulder during this transit. You’ll likely need to be a bit more intentional about investing in your close, personal relationships and attending to your domestic duties throughout the next few weeks.
Interestingly, just a day after Mars makes its debut in Aquarius, it meets up with Pluto—the planet of power and transformation—at 1:06AM ET on Valentine’s Day. This conjunction brings with it immense power and energy, but also the potential for volatile arguments and ego battles. What a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, right?
As a collective, it’s safe to say we’re all questioning the hyper-capitalist, heteronormative nature of this day that’s meant to symbolize love, adoration, and commitment. Mars in Aquarius is deeply skeptical of these motives, and Pluto’s presence doubles down on the need for truth and control. Whether you’re still a Valentine’s Day stan or make all efforts to avoid the holiday, be especially aware of your relational dynamics today. You may feel compelled to debate and argue, exert your opinions, or exercise your power. Instead of leaning into the destructive currents of this transit, channel this surge of energy into useful projects. You have the strength and tenacity today to complete physically and intellectually strenuous work. You might even surprise yourself with an unexpected stroke of genius or artistic inspiration.
And, if you have plans to celebrate the holiday, be mindful of your tendencies to control your partner or the date night. Broaching serious, intimate topics of love, family, security, and finances may spark some heated conversations, so if you want tonight to be smoothing sailing, focus on chatting about your individual passions as opposed to your plans for the future.
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On Friday, February 16 at 11:05AM ET, Venus enters progressive Aquarius. Venus—the planet of love, beauty, values, relationships, and finances—has been cruising through Capricorn since January 23. In this hard-working sign, Venus takes its relationships and values very seriously, building partnerships and investing in beliefs that are built to last.
Now that Venus is entering Aquarius, it shifts its focus from security to progress. As an air sign, Aquarius covets nuanced discussions, inspiring relationships, and the cultivation of the mind. Accordingly, Venus in Aquarius derives pleasure and purpose from engaging inquiries, out-of-the-box thinking, and partnerships that align with its ideals. It desires to explore and analyze the human experience with like-minded people who care about the world around them, cultivating connection and reciprocity through ideation and innovation. The pursuit of knowledge and the subsequent formation of solid, intentional opinions are essential facets of Venus in Aquarius.
Venus in Aquarius underlines the importance of intentional, meaningful conversations, progressive worldviews, and mutual growth. What kinds of intellectual pursuits are important to you? How do ideals, current events, politics, cultural norms, and societal expectations shape your relationships, values, and worldview? What kinds of partnerships are most important to you, and how do they support your intellectual growth and development?
Aquarius is closely tied to friendship. So, as Venus transits this sign for the next four-weeks (until March 11), consider the role that your friends, coworkers, and acquaintances play in your life. What’s your friendship status? Have you maintained friendships from childhood, from high school, from college? Have you cultivated new friendships in adulthood? How do you and your friends support one another? Challenge one another? Pursue growth, knowledge, and progress together?
In fact, just a day after Venus’ entrance into Aquarius, it forms a potent conjunction with Pluto at 0° Aquarius on Saturday, February 17 at 3:48AM ET. Pluto is the planet of power dynamics, universal truths, and essential transformation, so this is an excellent opportunity to examine whether your relationships and your ideals align with your innate desires. At the same time, this conjunction can bring up feelings of jealousy, insecurity, or possessiveness, so be mindful of over-analysis and manipulation. Open your mind to new perspectives that arise, listen closely to your intuition, and embrace truths that emerge. It may be time to leave behind the partnerships or beliefs that no longer serve you.
On Sunday, February 18 at 11:13PM ET, the Sun officially shifts out of Aquarius’ brainy domain and enters Pisces’ compassionate realm. The Sun represents identity, will, vitality, and joy. In the sign of Pisces, it desires to be seen and appreciated for its imaginative spirit, strong intuition, and unending compassion. Symbolized by the fish, Pisces is intimately connected to the immense emotional depths of humanity at large. At its highest vibration, it nurtures the raw, authentic energetic expression that emerges from every individual’s unique, beautiful soul.
But, wait… how did we get from Aquarius to Pisces? What if we lose all the progress we made during Aquarius Season? How can we embrace the Piscean desire for love and unity, while continuing to uphold the Aquarian drive for improvement and innovation? What does it mean to create progressive systems that are fueled by empathy and artistry? When we venture into Pisces Season, we don’t negate the importance of innovation and collective liberation. Instead, we acknowledge that love, compassion, and forgiveness are of the utmost importance if we want to create a more equitable world. Our future cannot be based on ingenuity alone—societal progress must be grounded in compassion and understanding to cultivate long-lasting harmony.
Pisces desires to create a world that honors everyone’s right to feel. As the last water sign of the zodiac, Pisces is acutely attuned to matters of the heart—how our sensitivities undulate like sea waves, rippling and building and crashing and frothing and retreating over and over again. Our internal worlds are as vast and complex and beautiful as the ocean, and Pisces aims to foster a collective experience that values intuition, artistic expression, and emotionality. It hopes to build a world that honors and celebrates everyone’s capacity to express the depth and breadth of their humanity.
As we step into Pisces Season, reflect on your relationship to your internal world. Do you embrace your sensitivities, or shove them away? Are you comfortable embodying and expressing your emotional experiences? Are you tapped into your intuition? What does it feel like? Do you trust it? How do you extend compassion, love, and forgiveness to yourself and to others?
Throughout this season, Pisces will encourage you to choose empathy and compassion. It will ask you to deepen your relationship to your emotional world. It will inspire you to cultivate reverence for sensitive souls and artistic expression. It will implore you to choose to love, to act through love, to be a force of love. We’ll be sharing Pisces Season horoscopes for paid subscribers later on this week—If you’ve been considering supporting The Curiosity Report, now is a perfect time to join for just $5!
Card of the Week
Ten of Cups (from the classic Smith-Rider-Waite deck)
This week, let your heart guide the way. Open yourself to all the love and abundance and joy you deserve. Maintain hope in your ability to achieve your dreams and embody emotional fulfillment. Share your bounty with the people around you.
The Ten of Cups is intimately related to family and loving relationships, so carve out time this week to get together with your favorite people. Relish the beauty they bring into your life. Share your appreciation with them. Cultivate gratitude for how your relationships have grown and evolved over the years—treat these sacred bonds with the reverence they deserve.
Aliza’s Mommy Updates
Katrin connected with Aliza to get the inside scoop on her life with newborn Talula.
How are you and Talula doing?