The Context at the Beginning of Aquarius Season
Aquarius Season begins as the sun enters Aquarius on January 20 just a few days after Mercury. Saturn and Pluto remain closely conjunct in Capricorn continuing to bring conflict, as Jupiter gradually catches up in that sign. Venus is in her sign of exaltation, Pisces, with Neptune—bringing a soft, kind, and creative influence at an otherwise dark and Saturnian time. Mars begins Aquarius Season in Sagittarius, and Uranus remains in Taurus.
Mercury Retrograde and Pre-Retrograde Shadow Period in Pisces
Mercury stations retrograde a few degrees short of Neptune on Feb 16, just a few days before Aquarius Season ends and Pisces Season begins. But we’ll spend much of Aquarius Season in Mercury’s Pre-Retrograde Shadow period (the time when Mercury is moving forward through the part of the Zodiac it will soon be passing backwards through). Plans and actions from the pre-retrograde shadow period (Feb 2-15) may have to be revisited during the retrograde.
Mercury is in it’s detriment in the sign of Pisces, and Neptune in Pisces casts extra fog over Mercury. With a badly debilitated Mercury, the shadow period leading up to Mercury Retrograde may feel a lot like the retrograde itself. You can expect the typical Mercury Retrograde stuff from February 2nd or 3rd through the end of Aquarius season and all the way through Pisces Season: miscommunications and problems with information, plans, and technology.
Like all transits, this will affect every person differently. There was a Mercury Rx in Pisces with Neptune in March of 2019, and you are likely to experience this one similarly. Check a diary, date book, social media, or email archive to jog your memory about what was happening in your life at that time.
Notable Transits:
Jan 24 New Moon in Aquarius square Uranus - a very "Aquarian" New Moon
Jan 26-28 Moon-Venus-Neptune Square Mars: Venus conjoins Neptune almost exactly as Mars hits a square (90° angle) to those planets. The moon catches up on the 28th. A little bit "Don Quixote", a little bit Casanova? Try to avoid conflicts on these days - you probably don't have all the information. On the upside, it could be experienced as a particularly creative or inspiring time.
Feb 2-15 Mercury Rx pre-shadow period. Plans and actions at this time may have to be revisited during the retrograde.
Feb 3 Mercury enters Pisces, joining Neptune there. Pisces is a rough sign for Mercury, and Neptune is a rough planet for Mercury. With a badly debilitated Mercury, this shadow period leading up to Mercury retrograde may feel a lot like the retrograde itself.
Feb 5 Venus in degree of exaltation (27 pisces). Do something romantic! Do something creative! It will likely happen pretty naturally with this lovely Venus.
Feb 7 Venus enters Aries. The exalted Venus doesn't last long before entering Mars's sign of Aries (where Venus is in detriment). Happily, this transit will be over in a month and Venus will move on to her home sign of Taurus.
Feb 16 Mercury Rx in Pisces: problems with communication, information, plans, and technology
Feb 16 Mars in Capricorn - Mars can often be worked with productively in Capricorn, but the additional malefic emphasis on Saturn and Pluto is not ideal.
Moon Phases:
Jan 24 New Moon square Uranus. It's a very "Aquarian" free-thinking New Moon with the strong Uranus influence, and Aquarius’s traditional ruler Saturn in his other domicile Capricorn.
Feb 1 1st Quarter Moon in Taurus; somewhat Uranus flavored (unpredictable, likes to shake things up)
Feb 9 Full Moon in Leo: little planetary influence on this one, other than a loose sign-based square with Uranus.
Feb 15 3rd Quarter Moon in Scorpio. The Moon isn't the most comfortable in the sign of Scorpio, and is applying to an aspect with malefic Saturn - though it’s a relatively harmless sextile aspect. While it’s not looking overwhelmingly positive, I'm not too concerned about this brief transit.