For hard-working, steadfast, and luxurious Taurus: Here’s what you can expect to enjoy, work through, and receive throughout the month of February.

Get ready for dreamy, romantic vibes at the start of the month, Taurus. Your ruling planet, Venus, spends February 1 in a conjunction with Neptune and the waxing crescent Moon. This celestial combination places an emotional emphasis on romantic and financial investments. The waxing crescent Moon encourages you to plan, prepare, and prune wherever necessary. You’ll want to make sure all your ducks are in a row before moving further down this path. With tricky Neptune in the mix, this exercise will become even more important to ensure you’re not misleading yourself toward the wrong road. 

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Neptune can open our imaginations and dream-like states to open new worlds of possibilities. This faraway planet influences our abilities to aspire and conjures images of what life could be like if our anxieties, fears, or expectations weren’t in the way. Certainly, such imaginative spirits can be a positive. However, if left to their own devices, Neptune’s imaginative streak can lean into a more deceptive state. Don’t underestimate your ability to convince yourself of falsehoods because they’re more convenient, Taurus. Discomfort can create a compelling argument. But will it hold up once the pain subsides? This will be a delicate balance to walk. Make sure you watch where you take your steps. 

Venus enters Aries on February 4, ushering in an action-oriented energy that prioritizes progress over feelings. Considering your ruling planet’s domain over love and finances, this cosmic transition indicates a potential need for discipline or decision-making within these areas of your life. Aries has a reputation for getting things done. However, Aries also has a reputation for being a hot-head. Act with passion, but be careful not to equate passion with recklessness. The butterflies we get when we know we’re doing something wrong and when we’re embarking on a grand adventure can often feel the same. Rest assured, stargazer: their consequences are vastly different. 

The soft glow of evolution begins to peek over the horizon in the second week of the month as Venus forms a favorable sextile with Pluto in Aquarius. We don’t typically associate sextiles with significant changes. However, who are any of us to turn our noses up at positive energy? Try not to let your impatience get the best of you around this time. With Pluto and Venus’ sextile locking into place on February 8, the weekend promises to hold plenty of chances to observe the doors before you. It might not be time to actually walk through one yet. But there is plenty of planning and consideration you can be doing in the meantime. 

The waxing gibbous Moon forms an auspicious trine with your ruling planet in Leo and Aries, respectively, on February 11. This overwhelmingly fortuitous cosmic alignment occurs one day before the potent full Moon in Leo. These bright lunar phases push you to trust your intuition and base your actions on these discoveries. Be on the lookout for internal and external cues, Taurus. In some cases, the universe could flash a giant, sky-wide sign that read “wrong turn,” and people would still ignore it and go down the wrong path. Don’t miss these signs and feelings. Emotional clarity will be at an all-time high during this time. 

On February 16, the waning gibbous Moon forms a tense square with Venus. This cosmic alignment is a natural subsequent step to the events of the previous days’ full Moon. Think about it, stargazer. Emotional clarity doesn’t just reveal the beneficial aspects of our lives. Most often and importantly, this kind of self-awareness reveals the toxic areas of our daily lives. What relationships, habits, and behaviors leave you feeling worse than before you encountered them? Under the influence of the waning gibbous Moon, the stars urge you to be honest with your answers. You have one life to live. You owe it to yourself not to make that one life an existence of unmet needs, stress, and suffering. 

Mars finally returns direct on February 24, shifting our internal energy back outward. This retrograde period slowed us down whether we wanted to or not, encouraging us to fully process our surroundings in all its good, bad, and ugly glory. With Mars returning to its normal state, motivation and energy return. Finding a way from point A to point B no longer seems like such a mountainous hike. If you were waiting for your moment to act, now might be the ideal time to do so. Find your windows of opportunity, and chase them down. Release all the pent-up energy and aggression stored under the stifling influence of Mars RG.

One day after Mars returns direct, Venus forms a positive sextile with the waning crescent Moon. Not quite a dark Moon but still reaching a more restorative state, the waning crescent Moon promotes rest, rejuvenation, and recharging. Don’t let the slow tempo of Mars retrograde fool you, Taurus. You’ve been putting in serious work, even if it doesn’t always feel like it. Enjoy the progress you’ve made thus far. Take the time to savor the fruits of your labor. Otherwise, what’s the point? Your satisfaction has to come from within, not from external accolades. You don’t have to be known as the best to actually be the best. 

We end the month of February under a new Moon in Pisces. Sensitivity and intuition will be at an all-time high. Try to avoid individuals who tend to drain or negatively affect your energy levels. Under the restorative cloak of the dark Moon, you’ll need all the energy reserves you can get, stargazer. You are not automatically beholden to dole out your resources for the sake of common decency. A truly decent relationship requires both parties to give a little bit and take a little bit in return. If you feel as if you do more giving than taking, talk to the other person about it. If they huff and turn away, then was that really a relationship you felt comfortable expressing yourself in? This curse could actually be a blessing.

Thus concludes your monthly highlights. For more specific celestial analyses, make sure to read your daily and weekly horoscope as well. Good luck, Taurus! See you next month.