I was thinking of an interesting question today. What quality do you have now that when you were little, growing up, you never assumed you’d have in you? It may be that as you matured, you took on new facets to your personality that you found favorable, and were surprised to say were part of you. That has happened to me…

In February the eclipses are back, and they always appear in a family of signs for a period of two years, coming by every six months in pairs. We are currently seeing the Leo and Aquarius series of eclipses. The job of an eclipse is to shake us out of our complacency and get us moving again. Eclipses do their job very well. February is sure to be an exciting month that will set the tone for months to come.

On January 31 you will have just experienced a full moon lunar eclipse – this was a total eclipse of the moon in Leo, 12 degrees, a sign found six months away from yours, ruling your closest committed partner. Your entire attention will be on your partner in early February. Because this is a full moon, if you are happy together, you may be getting engaged or putting the final details on your wedding.

All through the first part of the month you will be examining what you want in a romantic relationship and also what you are willing to give in return. Because this is your birthday month, you are feeling the warmth of the Sun, with Mercury and Venus, all in Aquarius as the month begins, and life should feel quite beautiful. You will have a large say in the way things go and the direction your life is headed, and as you know, having a sense of control doesn’t always happen. You can readily see why I feel this will be a special month for you.

Additionally, Mars will be beautifully oriented to your Sun and planets in Aquarius, too, suggesting your friends will play a prominent and very positive role in all that happens this month. You will feel their warmth and see clearly that they care about you and want to see you happy. One friend may go out of her way to recommend you do something for yourself that you find quite touching.

If you are working on a humanitarian project, such as a charity benefit, fundraiser, or political rally – all areas in which Aquarius excels – this month you could outdo yourself in the success you see. Things that happen at eclipse time have weight and importance, and they point to future events. Start planning your goal now; you will quickly build on all your successes in future months.

Think back to what happened last year at the three eclipses that came by – the a lunar eclipse (full moon) in Leo on February 10; next a lunar eclipse (a full moon) in Aquarius on August 7; and lastly a solar eclipse (new moon) in Leo on August 21. What topic were you focused on at the time? If you can recall, you will now likely advance that discussion this month to a new level.

Here is another clue: Eclipses repeat every 19 years in sign and degree, so think back to January 31, 1999 and August 16, 1999, for you may be able to discern a good clue of what may come up this month. Of course, the other planets will have moved to different signs and positions, but one thing is certain: the houses in which these eclipses fell in 1999 and in 2018 will be the same sign and house. Later, after February is over, you can compare the events from the two years.

Do not worry if something bad happened in the past – that won’t happen again. I had the hardest experience of my life at an eclipse of July 1, 1992. I had harrowing emergency surgery due to a birth defect that doctors had overlooked, but suffice to say, today I am lucky to be alive thanks to 17 transfusions. When that eclipse was to repeat 19 years later, I held my breath, but only good came of the second eclipse. Both eclipses put my health front and center, but the second one brought a radiant feeling of strength when I found the right trainer who designed a program that was not cookie-cutter but individual and perfect for me.

If your birthday falls on January 31 or within five days of that date, you will have a very eventful year, with plenty of change. You will also feel change if you have Aquarius rising or the natal moon in Aquarius, and in either case, within five degrees of 21 degrees. I believe you will like the shifts and new opportunities that surface – of all the twelve signs, your sign, Aquarius, and Gemini are among the best about adapting to new circumstances. In fact, as an Aquarius, you look for a shakeup to events once in a while – when things bumble along without any new developments, you get restless.

The next eclipse will be even more favorable, for it will appear in Aquarius on February 15, a big moment for you. We usually get four eclipses a year, but this year we will get five, all in July and August, but the sweetest, best most supportive ones will occur now, in February.

This February 15 eclipse will open a new road, quite unexpectedly, out of the blue, so remain alert and be decisive when the opportunity comes up. I say this because your ruler, Uranus, planet of surprise, will be beautifully angled to the Sun, new moon, and Mercury, all in Aquarius. You could not have wished for better planetary support.

You need to know what you want to happen next, though, and although that sounds easy, for some it might take a little thinking. You can’t have what you want if you don’t know what it is that you want. If you say, “Oh, I do! I know precisely what I want to happen next!” then you will be ahead of the game. Experts say if you can imagine your future life as if it were a beautifully shot movie, with settings created in detail for every scene, you have a far better chance of materializing your dream and living it fully and passionately.

The fact that this is a solar eclipse tells me that doors will open that had been previously locked. This also tells me that your dream may involve uniting closely in a committed relationship. Because eclipses move up schedules, you may now get engaged or married. For example, if you had assumed you’d date each other for a few more years before getting engaged, something may happen at eclipse time that you didn’t create, didn’t know about, or had no control over because it occurred in the outside world (somewhere) that changes your plans. Remarkably changes that had nothing to do with you can cause dramatic changes in your own life at eclipse time.

The first ten days of February should be special, for Venus will glide in Aquarius, favoring you. This would be the right time to improve your appearance; buying new clothes for updating your appearance will give you a special boost of confidence.

Although Venus will be into Pisces by the time you get to Valentine’s Day, this day for lovers nevertheless will glitter for you. The transiting moon will be in Aquarius, and the eclipse – a powerful solar eclipse, a new moon – will bring up all kinds of surprise developments.

For some, if you are in an unhappy relationship, this solar eclipse might show you why you would need to leave one partner to be free to someday find another person better for you. (In these cases, someone is “eclipsed out” from your present life.) I considered that that possibility happening for you, but this seems very unlikely and too extreme, judging by your plethora of happy planets jumping up and down like little cheerleaders in your horoscope this month.

Uranus, the planet stirring up so many surprises and joy, will be in your third house of communication and travel. This suggests you may take a quick trip in February, and if you do, it will do you a world of good.

If your birthday falls on February 15, plus or minus five days, you will have an exciting year of change in the coming twelve months. The same is true if you have Aquarius rising or the natal moon in Aquarius at 21 degrees plus or minus five degrees. If you have a natal planet in Aquarius, Gemini, Libra, Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius at 21 degrees, plus or minus five degrees, you too will benefit from this new moon eclipse – that planet will be very lit up. Take notes!

Your sibling might have happy news and surprises for you, too, near February 15, as your third house will be lit up – your sisters and brothers (as well as your cousin) are ruled by the third house. You seem to be spending time together this month, and it’s all for good.

As you get closer to month’s end, you will start to feel the approaching full moon in Virgo to fall in your eighth house of other people’s money. You will settle agreements, transfer funds to those who you owe, and money will come in from others who have promised to pay you. You may get valuable gifts or checks, but no matter what happens, throughout this full moon, which will be influential through the weekend of March 3-4, you will feel a greater sense of security and solidity.

The new family of eclipses in Leo and Aquarius are back now, and they will pick up the conversation that you likely started last August 2017. This will make birthday month a big one for you. As you enter February, you will be coming off a full moon lunar eclipse in Leo, which appeared just one day prior to the dawning of February and lit your house of commitment and relationships. Big news likely came to the surface about a partner in love or business, and if your birthday falls on January 31, or within five days of this date, you were directly affected.

That eclipse was asking for a decision about a current relationship that you are in now – you may be married, or living together – but the eclipse is asking you to either move forward in an assertive way, or, if unhappy, leave. This is a mainly positive eclipse, so it appears you will be happy with results. Let’s think good thoughts.

An even bigger moment will occur on the solar eclipse, February 15, in Aquarius. At this point, you will feel clear about your future, and the steps you will want to take to make a dream materialize. This eclipse is friendly – Uranus, your ruling planet – will be in the ideal position to provide a surprise chance to travel or to negotiate a solid professional agreement. (These possibilities are not mutually exclusive – you might have both.)

Think back to discussions that took place August 7 and August 21 – the eclipses now will relate to those talks. With most planets in the eastern part of your chart, you will have great control over events at long last.

Professionally, things could not be better for you, for Jupiter, giver of gifts and luck, is shining like a beacon in your tenth house of fame and honors for the first time in a decade. This month, Jupiter has orbited close enough to be within alignment with Pluto, suggesting financial reward is very likely on the way to you.

Stay alert for news. Adding to this theme of positive monetary developments, the full moon of March 2, which is one of the friendliest of 2018, will be gaining power at month’s end, and will light your eighth house of other people’s money. If you need funding, confidently present your case, for it appears the money will be there for you when you ask for it. Alternatively, you may receive a very valuable birthday gift, or at work, you may receive a bonus for work well done.

Mercury will retrograde later next month, from March 22 to April 15, so use this month to make solid progress. Make a presentation, launch a product or service, schedule an interview, start sketching out storyboards for a film, or work on a manuscript – you decide what you’d like to do, but the point is, plant that seed now.

Socially, February will be warm and vibrant, especially because Mars, the energy planet, will brighten your eleventh house of friendships, parties, and new acquaintances until March 17. Circulate, for at birthday time, the Sun will be back to the place it occupied at your birth, elevating your profile and allowing you to display your innate charms that are, and will be, completely irresistible.