Do you believe you can fly? Jupiter, planet of grand plans, thinks you can and he’s blazing the trail this week. On the 10th, the sun received its Jupiter booster shot and on the 13th, Mercury, planet of learning, gets one, too. Jupiter is providing us with a glimpse at the big picture — the sense that each one of our actions adds up to a larger, better whole. This transit produces confidence and hope, enough to articulate where we’re going and why. Because we’re still in intellectual Aquarius season, this planetary movement can even inspire us to open our minds to the opinions and ideas of people from different walks of life.
Jupiter has been known to blow hot air into insecure egos. Wherever we feel less confident and hungry for others’ good opinion, we’ll be likely to exaggerate, brag, and strut our stuff. This may get us what we want in the short-term but the second our egos deflate back to regular size, we may not know how to handle it. To make the most of this enthusiastic Jupiterian mood, open your mind to all the possibilities and aim for actions that benefit the most people (yourself included).
On Thursday, the planets take a serious turn with the year’s second eclipse. This partial solar eclipse is subtler than the super emotional lunar eclipse that took place on 31st January, and will likely feel nicer. The eclipsing sun and moon aligned in Aquarius is a gentle nudge to release group identities that no longer fit and own our unique ideas, political ideals and perspectives instead.
Insights go off like tiny fireworks through the weekend, as we fall into a creative slumber. On Saturday, active Mars falls under Neptune’s dreamy spell. Your subconscious has secrets to tell you, but it needs a quiet place to whisper them. Make yourself a magical playlist and spend the weekend retreating to recharge, or taking a loving or artistic risk.
Aquarius
January 20 to February 18
Turn those genius ideas into actions, Aquarius. As your birthday season comes to a close, the universe is gifting you with a million and one brilliant insights. Not that a shortage of ideas is ever your problem. Rather, it’s the desire to choose the best possible idea that tends to slow you down. Conveniently, the planets will be delivering a dose of confidence, speed, and courage, too. If you want to take advantage of this opening, launch your plans before the weekend.
Thursday’s solar eclipse is a powerful day for you, digging up hidden feelings you didn’t even know you were having. Releasing the feelings can feel like shedding an invisible burden. The eclipse will be happening in your first house of appearance and new experiences. Switch up your Aquarian uniform to a style that better matches your current self. Also notice any parts of yourself you’ve been downplaying in order to fit in with your friends. You’re not generally a fan of labels, but defining your relationships (and even making a commitment or two) will strengthen your independence by subtracting confusion from the equation. Over the weekend, go free-form, following your impulses to enjoy music, art, yummy food, and other pleasures that help you enjoy your body.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Pisces
February 19 to March 20
This week is like an early birthday present, Pisces. The planets have gotten together and given life a mini-makeover of meaning, kindness, and optimism. Venus in your sign means love is your M.O. and balance is a bit easier to come by than usual. Joyful Jupiter is whispering in everyone’s ears, including yours. Your dreams are hovering so close you can practically touch them, which means it’s worth trying to make them real. Your energy is directed toward your professional goals (aka what you want to share with the world). There’s one tiny string attached, though: Those goals have to benefit more people than just yourself, and they ought to gratify your heart and imagination at least as much as your ego.
Because you like to be perceived as kind, your egomania is way more subtle than that of other signs. Piscean egotism looks like wanting others to feel bad for you, or to be thought of as a saint or sensitive genius. Instead of playing that ultimately self-harming game, listen to wise Jupiter and go toward what’s meaningful. If you love to write poetry, publish your poems online for the sake of sharing that love and inspiring others. If your career goals are really about making money to pay your bills, that’s cool, too — just focus your mind on what your work gives back to others. Your natural sympathy for the people who need your work will help you stay committed long enough to see your dreams become as real as you are. There’s a real willingness in the people around you to believe in the best possible version of events.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Aries
March 21 to April 19
If you want something bad enough, you almost always go for it. The question is, do you stay happy once the thrill of winning fades? It’s great to know what you want, but it’s even better if you know why. Having a sense of purpose — that each of those spontaneous decisions adds up to a larger whole — staves off discouragement and makes us feel like our lives have value.
Jupiter’s influence can fill you up with a sense of meaning that lasts or not, depending on your focus. Instant gratification — life’s sugary snack — always tempts, but shoot higher and further, Ram. This week, put the brakes on long enough to really consider what a dream come true would look like, especially as it relates to your community. What kind of friends do you want to have around you? What does feeling supported by your group look like? What activities make you feel part of a group as awesome as you are?
On the weekend, your ruling planet, passionate Mars, ascends into Neptune’s fog. Before plunging into the unknown, check in with your energy level. Feeling frazzled or wired is an orange flag — cool it before you crash. Clear energy — when you feel focused, calm, and grounded — is your green flag to go full speed ahead.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Taurus
April 20 to May 20
What do you value most, Taurus? And how can you get it in its unadulterated form? Balanced Venus, your planetary ruler, moved into Pisces on the 10th, turning your heart's attention to purity. In Pisces, the love planet seeks pure goodness. Your sign’s direction in life depends on having a strong value system. When you know, unquestioningly, what matters to you, you make solid, sustainable choices. With Venus in right-timing Pisces, this is a wonderful time to slow down to your most comfortable speed and meditate on this question.
Tauruses have a mistaken reputation for being money-obsessed. That’s because money is a normal way of measuring how much people value something, and greed is what happens when you don’t have a strong system of personal values. This week, imagine you are founding a new financial system with pounds replaced by what’s really valuable. Maybe you care most about your friends, your family, having secure housing, or getting to eat delicious food every day. Whatever you value, Venus in Pisces says to immerse yourself in it. Go on an all-day brunch with your best people or maroon yourself on a sofa with books, coffee, and microbrew within arm's reach. In general, moderation is great, but this week, give yourself permission to dive into your swimming pool of symbolic gold coins, like a happy version of Scrooge McDuck.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Gemini
May 21 to June 20
Gemini, your mind is alive with ideas and your glass is half-full (if not overflowing). Entertaining Mercury, your planetary ruler, strikes a deal with brilliant Jupiter on Tuesday and your hunger for quality information is huge. Geminis who are in school or who have a writing-related task to do may want to pull an all-nighter. The fast and furious connections you’re making lend themselves well to immersive study and writing binges.
You’re a persuasion monster right now, too, so use your temporary conviction to get others as fired up as you are. It might be tempting to stretch the facts to make the truth sound as good as it feels. Try to keep your words accurate, though; this is a particularly all-or-nothing Jupiter transit that will make any falsification get out of control fast.
Around Thursday, oddball Uranus makes friendly contact with Mercury and says to embrace an outlier perspective that seemed too weird before. An outsider in your peer group — that person who’s always doing their own thing and ignores social cues — may hold the answer you need. Picture a sticky situation in your life from the perspective of someone who is your opposite. What would they do differently? Give that a shot.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Cancer
June 21 to July 22
What would change if you let go of your biggest grudge? Not to rush you, Cancer — I wouldn’t dare — but this week’s solar eclipse says you’re ready to leave behind one item of personal baggage. It might be a teeny tiny grudge, or an old peeve you realise no longer bothers you. It might be an unwieldy carry-on of anger that’s leaving you exhausted. With the eclipse-making moon in your eighth house of intimacy and joint bank accounts, the habit of mind and body you’re leaving behind has been blocking your ability to trust. Maybe you’ve felt you were giving a relationship your all, but in fact you were weakening their confidence by swinging from hot and cold, open to locked up tight. The root of the issue is really self-trust.
Letting go of that falling-apart suitcase leaves your hand open to hold someone else's. This isn’t so much about saying yes to what the other person is offering than it is about saying yes to the process. What risks of love does your body want to take? What agreements does it need in return? On Thursday and Friday, check in with your person (or yourself) about what each person is contributing. You’ll have better than usual clarity for sorting out what you want from what you actually need. You won’t need to cling onto anything or anyone when you trust yourself.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Leo
July 23 to August 22
You are where you come from, Leo, and your past has shown up bearing gifts. Jupiter is in the middle of an extended visit to your fourth house of family and childhood. Freedom-loving Jupiter expands whatever it touches, meaning that your personal background has been swelling in importance since October. Depending on what sort of childhood you had (or are having), Jupiter could be setting you free by revealing tough truths about your family, or just by reminding you of how awesome they are.
Either way, you gain strength and confidence this week by understanding how your home and parents made you your fabulous, creative, spirited self. Think of the guidance counsellor telling Ladybird — who is based on fellow Leo Greta Gerwig — how much Ladybird must love Sacramento, in spite of the fact that she insists she hates it. “But you pay so much attention to it,” says the guidance counsellor. In a similar vein, pay attention to what taught you to be strong, what made you discover your true self and any helping hands that pushed you along the way. Looking back will steady you and shine a light on the way forward.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Virgo
August 23 to September 22
Hope is a practical skill, Virgo. To improve at love, money management, or eating healthily, you first have to believe that you can. When spirited Jupiter runs into your ruling planet, mental Mercury, this week, you get a temporary free pass to adopt a bigger, brighter worldview. Mercury is in your sixth house of skills and healthy habits through Saturday, which could have you fixating on the details, obsessing over possible food allergies or editing and re-editing a work email to get the tone right. Jupiter busts down the door on your perfectionism lab and shouts, “I think it’s good enough already!”
Meaning-making Jupiter has big plans for you, Virgo, and they involve a leap of faith. No, you’re not yet as good as you want to be — but you learn best by doing. Pick your head up from whatever problems you’ve been worrying over and see what else is out there. There’s a wide world that needs you in all your unfinished glory, Virgo — and it’s far less critical of you than you are.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Libra
September 23 to October 22
Sensible sign that you are, Libra, you know to chill out when it’s relaxation time. This past Saturday, your planetary ruler, peaceful Venus, waded into Pisces’ unearthly beautiful waters. As she drifts along, that lovely lady is approaching fellow swimmer, compassionate Neptune, making all people more sensitive and caring. Much like you, Libra, Venus enjoys kindness and any form of physical pleasure. Pisces, a place of gentle love, is Venus’ favourite holiday destination and she’s going to help you thrive into early March.
Getting the most out of this transit requires the nicest kinds of effort: appreciation for others, listening, naps, and immersion in any experience that makes you feel like a lovely lady in an old-fashioned bathing costume. Do be careful about a tendency to bend over backwards for others — saying no won’t feel very good when everyone is so sensitive. If you can’t bring yourself to pronounce that oh-so-effective word, check out of the situation — kindly and communicatively — until you can make up your mind. Your intuitive sense of timing is good, so no need to rush. Spread out that beach towel and soak up the rays.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Scorpio
October 23 to November 21
You’re a master of motivations, Scorpio, but do you know your own? You are a sage of strategy, and yet so often you sabotage your own goals. What gives?
With your co-ruler, energetic Mars, moving through your second house of money, you are ambitious right now about amassing more cash — and you're willing to do almost anything to shore up your sense of financial security. Nothing against income here — feeling in control (circumstances allowing) of your money can help a lot with your more persistent fears — but it’s crucial that you know exactly what you’re after. At the end of the day, Scorpio is seeking peak experiences — those intense encounters that make you feel terrified and exhilaratingly alive. Money in itself isn’t a sustainable motivation for most Scorpios, which is why you may actually be after power. Again, nothing against power! Who doesn’t want some of that? When you feel strong, Scorpio, empathy guides your use of power and you heal the people around you. When you’re acting from fear, though, you can do a lot of harm. And usually, you’re your own victim.
So shine a light on the real reasons you’re fighting (for money, love, or power), Scorps. The monster of your fear is just a gentle beast and your true power is a compassionate hand that heals all it touches.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Sagittarius
November 22 to December 21
Hang onto your calendar app, Sag! With your ruling planet, Jupiter, running the show this week, you’re in high demand (or at least feeling that way). The Sun, Mercury, and Venus in your third house of communication and casual encounters throw colourful gasoline on the activity fire. Even if you want to avoid people, it’s not possible right now. Good thing, because you’re seeding big plans through emails, texts, and random conversations while standing in line at the gas station. Your brain is working overtime with insights into the current political moment and worthwhile local gossip. You can enjoy the burst of energy for what it is, but you’ll land in a happier place if you put some thought into the difference between what the information you’re getting seems to mean versus what it actually does.
Once your ideas are fully cooked, they’re ready to be shared with anyone who’s hanging around. (Others will likely be receptive, as long as you give them a chance to ask questions and catch up.)
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
Capricorn
December 22 to January 19
Do your future plans include enough pleasure time, Cappy? Your ruling planet, duty-driven Saturn, has been left out of the other planets’ games for the last few weeks. Ideally, this has given you permission to enjoy life a little more, and helped you catch your breath from the hectic period that occurred around your birthday. Saturn’s been invited back to play this week by a super-chill Venus in Aquarius. Serious Saturn might feel kind of awkward about this whole “playing” idea, but he’s open to thinking about how to structure his life to contain more pleasure, connection, love, and interesting conversation.
In case you hadn’t guessed, Cappy, Saturn here is a stand-in for you. This period is like an open door: it’s there to walk through if you want to. (I’m going to strongly suggest that you should.) You have a clear sense this week for how to balance the demands of your responsibilities with the quiet joys of your heart. Write out a plan for how to make sure all sides of your personality have space to express themselves for now and in the months to come.
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
10 Women Share What They're Actually Doing For Lent This Year