Aquarius Season: A Modern Witch’s Guide To The Stars

Are you ready to shake things up? If you’re not, the sun transitioning into the sign of Aquarius might just encourage you to stray from the land of monotony into the land of the uncharted.

With the sun shifting from the studious sign of Capricorn into the rebellious sign of Aquarius, we can take the plans and goals we’ve set in the previous season and expand upon them with an original spin in the next.

Aquarius is an intellectual energy that desires to shake off normalities and maintain its individuality. As such, this sequence of seasons can assist us with breakthroughs if we utilize this energy to our advantage.

New Moon in Aquarius:

New moons are always conjunct with the sun and occur in the same sign. This season, the New Moon promptly joins the sun in Aquarius on January 21st, 2023. New moons occur at the start of a new lunar cycle, and due to this, they represent a fresh chapter. A new moon is a period of setting intentions, planting seeds, and laying the groundwork for future manifestations.

When the new moon is in Aquarius, this energy is ripe with innovation and is primetime for expanding our minds and setting our sights higher. In modern astrology, the ruling planet of Aquarius is Uranus, which is known as the planet of sudden change and ingenuity. The eccentric nature of this sign makes this moon advantageous for stepping outside the box and seeing things through new lenses.

When the moon is in Aquarius, it is more lighthearted. The balance between the mental plane of Aquarius and the emotional tides of the moon can create a balance that might not exist under other lunar phases. Aquarius is a sign of unconventionality and sudden change, which can encourage us to break away from our comfort zones.

This cerebral energy lends its hand to unlocking hidden ideas within our minds. As such, spellwork involving originality, transformations, or manifesting new opportunities is particularly successful under this influence.

Mercury Direct:

Mercury will turn direct on January 18th, 2023, towards the end of the Capricorn Season, which means it will be kicking off this Aquarius season in the postshadow portion of this retrograde. If you’d like to hear more about this shadow period, check out “2023 Retrogrades: A Witch’s Guide for Reflection.”

Mercury retrograde is perhaps the most feared of all the retrogrades as it ticks all the boxes for creating a frustrating experience in our day-to-day life. Mercury governs communication, technology, and travel. As such, these retrograde periods are often times of technical mishaps, travel delays, and miscommunications. This very well can be a frustrating time.

Much like the other planetary retrogrades, Mercury retrograde is typically a period of reflection rather than forward motion. So when Mercury returns direct, this allows us to move forward with the insights we gathered while we were placed on cosmic hold.

With Mercury’s emphasis on communication, we will likely find it easier to express our thoughts more clearly. This can be a period where it feels as if the mental fog has been lifted. As such, we may find ourselves both more willing to communicate as well as more articulate than we’ve been in prior weeks.

Uranus Direct:

Uranus has been retrograde since August 22nd, 2022, and will go direct on January 22nd, 2023, in the sign of its rulership. Uranus Retrogrades occur about once a year and last approximately 148 days. With Uranus being a generational planet, the influence isn’t felt as acutely as personal planets such as Mercury, unless it’s making an aspect to planets within our natal chart.

Retrograde periods themselves are a period of reflection and review. So, when a planet moves direct, ideally, we are prepared to move forward with what we’ve learned during the retrograde period. Due to this, this period is excellent for reassessing our former thought patterns and tying up any loose ends before Uranus moves direct.

Uranus governs revolutions, innovations, and change. When this planet is retrograde, we may find these areas of our lives are inhibited. When Uranus begins to station direct, this is a period of refocusing. Whereas previously, we may have felt restricted, we can start to take action. And with Uranus as the driving force, this may come through with the velocity of the Kool-Aid man bursting through a proverbial wall.

When Uranus begins to travel forward, this momentum gives us the strength to make significant changes and experience breakthroughs in our lives. We are no longer stifled by the need to color within the lines; instead, we are given the freedom to march to the beat of our drummer. This is a period where we may revel in our own unexpected transformations and level up as human beings.

Full Moon in Leo:

The full moon during Aquarius Season will always fall in its sister sign, Leo. This full moon in Leo will arrive on February 5th, 2023. Full moons are when the moon is most illuminated and, therefore, its most potent.

Full moons can be a time for our manifestations to come to fruition, but they also offer an abundance of energy you can harness. So, you don’t have to sit by idly on the full moon waiting for your new moon manifestations. This moon phase is a great time to participate in rituals and spellwork actively.

When the moon enters the sign of Leo, this is a powerful, extroverted energy and can be a period of enhanced creativity and playfulness. Leo is a fire sign, making this energy one of action, intensity, and showmanship. We may find ourselves more outgoing or willing to put ourselves in the spotlight during this influence.

When the moon is in Leo, this is a time when there is an emphasis on passion projects, confidence, and ourselves. For that reason, this is a fantastic time for spellwork involving enhancing our creativity, advancing our careers, and manifesting our wildest desires.