Are you feeling a bit out of sorts? Full of ideas but also somewhat confused? Welcome to Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius. Aquarius is a sign that rules our intellect and what I think of as the “idea generating” portion of our brain. Since January 21, Mercury, planet of thoughts and communications, has been Retrograde. If you missed last month’s blog post, I went into more detail about the Mercury Retrograde cycle.

Meanwhile, we’re entering the second month of 2015 and your February horoscopes are available here. I’d say the coming month may feel more energetic than last month, but nothing in comparison to what we’ll experience in March. Mercury will be Retrograde through February 10 and we can expect some residual effects through February 25. That said, we’ve got a high powered Full Moon in Leo to kick off the month on Tuesday, February 3. Leo is the sign of creativity, romance and children. Any activities that light you up and require you to play with the abandon of a child will be especially encouraged around this time.

Full Moons can also be a good time to see some of your past efforts come to fruition. But, since this Full Moon falls during Mercury Retrograde, don’t be disappointed if everything doesn’t come together. If you’ve been working towards your goals, you’re likely to see some results, but really, things may not gel until next month. Probably the best thing you can do around this Full Moon is just get out and have some fun!

The Sun is in Aquarius through the 17th, which is a great time for socializing and bringing people together. This is a good month to celebrate the things that make you unique. I have spent a lot of time in the past wondering if I was doing things “right,” and I’ve felt disappointed when  comparing my methods to the way other people do things. I think some of my biggest inspiration in life comes from success stories about people who took an unconventional path. Aquarius is the sign of innovation and rebellion. Some people embrace the Aquarian way after banging their head against a wall one too many times trying to use traditional methods. Some people are just born ready to oppose the status quo at every turn. A lot of us alternate between following the rules and “coloring outside the lines.”

I used to follow a lot more rules, but have been learning from some of my life experiments that there are pretty awesome opportunities available if I’m willing to let myself be different. This might not work for everyone. I do have an Aquarius North Node. If you are curious about how the Nodes of the Moon guide your life, I highly recommend Jan Spiller’s fabulous book, “Astrology for the Soul.”

Right in time for Valentine’s Day, Venus and Mars will form a conjunction for most of the month and set the stage for passion. These two planets will be in Pisces for most of the month, moving closer together as February progresses. This can increase feelings of love, compassion and idealism towards someone we’re attracted to. But things really heat up after the 19th when both planets enter fiery Aries and are almost exactly conjunct for the rest of the month. I predict a lot of passionate encounters taking place during this time period.

Mars and Venus aren’t all about love or sex, however. Venus symbolizes our self worth and Mars represents our ambitions. When these two planets combine their energies we can all improve at the art of attracting what we want in a charming and tactful way. When we’re using the combined energy of these planets correctly, others are likely to hand us what we’ve been trying to get on a silver platter. Venus will help Mars to be direct without being combative and Mars will help Venus to feel like she deserves what she wants. Sounds like a good relationship to me!

For anyone who has been feeling especially sluggish during the second half of January, it’s possible that you were being influenced by Mars in Pisces conjunct Neptune. Mars, which is usually what helps us to get up and go, can be a bit sedate in Pisces and adding Neptune’s dreamy vibe certainly enhanced this sleepy effect. This transit may not have been noticeable to some, but if you have strong Mars in your chart (like me!), you can let yourself off the hook if you were not as much of an achiever as usual during the past few weeks. Now that Mars has gotten away from Neptune’s influence, you should be coming out of your haze a bit. After Mars enters Aries on the 19th you’re likely to be running at 100% again.

Saturn will continue the square to Neptune that it began last month which can help motivate us to make a solid plan to achieve our dreams. It can feel like it’s no longer ok to have our dreams on hold for “some day.” Instead, Saturn in Sagittarius’s optimism and fiery motivation will start to hold us accountable for some of the things we’ve said we want to do.