Cancer, February 2017

Venus enters Aries on February 3, lighting up the sector of your chart that rules worldly success and popularity—exciting! Sweet, lovely Venus is a little clumsy in boisterous Fire sign Aries, but that's OK. Venus can't always be the pretty princess; sometimes it's necessary to be a warrior queen. This is an exciting time for your career or for feeling popular and seen. Venus is the planet of love, money, and beauty, and it also rules concepts like fairness and value. It can be impulsive and brash in Fire sign Aries, but you need some of that sass, Cancer. Let's be honest: We all love you, but you're boringly cautious.

Venus will be retrograde from March 4 until April 15. We'll talk more about this in next month's horoscope, but basically, pay close attention to issues concerning Venusian themes (love, money, justice, all that good stuff) this February. You can expect these situations to intensify and demand your attention during next month's retrograde.

Communication planet Mercury enters Aquarius on February 7, activating a very intimate, psychic sector of your chart. This is a powerful time for transformation. As I'm sure you're aware, you can be nostalgic as hell. Logical Mercury in cool Air sign Aquarius will help you think with your head and not your heart, which will make letting go so, so much easier.

Mercury in Aquarius is a genius problem solver, so you'll find yourself hammering out many complicated issues during this time—everything from sex and trust to tricky financial issues, like debts, taxes, and inheritances.

February 10 brings the lunar eclipse in Leo. Eclipses are exciting and exhausting. I know you don't need more emotional ups and downs in your life, but it is what it is. Prepare for this hectic time by under-scheduling yourself (you want to be as flexible as possible) and allowing yourself to sleep in—this isn't your usual up-all-night full moon. It will be way more extreme!

Eclipses expose the truth—and once you know the facts, things can never be the same again. During this eclipse, you're likely to have a realization concerning wealth, abundance, and security, be it financial or emotional. Will you learn that your paycheck isn't living up to what other people at your work are making? Will you discover that you're not being valued in your relationships the way you should be? Whatever it is, you'll be ready to level up when it comes to feeling financially and emotionally secure.

Luckily, Mercury in Aquarius and Venus in Aries will make a harmonious connection on the same day, which will serve you well: Negotiating will come naturally do you. People will be in a helpful, communicative mood, which will certainly help relieve some of the (enormous) pressure eclipses often bring.

The Sun enters fellow Water sign Pisces on February 18, soon followed by Mercury on February 25. You're super deep, Cancer—all Water signs are—but now you'll be even more of a philosopher. For you, little crab, Pisces season is all about expanding the mind. Some travel is likely to take place, and this is a very productive time if you're in school. If you're publishing anything or hoping to share something with the world, the Sun and Mercury in Pisces will definitely have your back!

February 22 is one of the most intense days of the month around your relationships: Mars in Aries will clash with Pluto in Capricorn. Mars, the warrior of the zodiac, and Pluto, the lord of the underworld, are two very extreme planetary energies—and when they clash, shit goes down.

Mars in Aries is lighting the fire under your butt around career, while Pluto in Capricorn is creating transformations in your relationships. At the end of the month, you will need to ask yourself: Can you chase your dreams with your current partners? Are the commitments you're in, whether or not they are romantic, supporting your goals? And, not to sound shallow, but are you spending time with people you want to be seen with? These are hard questions, but you'll need to answer them.

The energy will be confrontational, and people will be playing dirty. This would be a good time to change the password on your phone. Bring in a third, unbiased person to help mediate any arguments. People are often too embarrassed to be the shittiest version of themselves when someone else is in the room, and people will be doing whatever they can to gain power today.

How can you use this energy for good? Instead of fighting, have sex. Find some stuff you can smash in an empty room. Wrestle with someone. You get the idea! This is also a powerful time for cutting ties with your past—Mars and Pluto know how to burn a bridge with no regrets.

The second eclipse of the month arrives on February 26: the solar eclipse in fellow Water sign Pisces. This eclipse will be extra scandalous, thanks to Mars and Uranus meeting in Aries on this day as well. Again, Mars is the planet of war, so expect the energy to be heated and passionate. Eclipses always bring surprises, and Uranus is the planet of the unexpected, so this will be major.

A massive psychological breakthrough will occur today. Your mind will finally wrap around something that used to make no sense to you, and the a-ha moment will be glorious. But also watch out for arguments and differences in opinion. This is a hugely important time to be respectful of other people's opinions and beliefs. If you're abroad, circle this date in your calendar as being intense and transformative. If you're in school, a huge turning point could take place now.

Again, eclipses are emotional and draining on every level. Things are never the same after an eclipse—but they bring us closer to our destinies, which is pretty exciting. See you in March, Cancer!