農曆新年快樂 Nónglì xīnnián kuàilè "Happy Chinese New Year!" and 恭禧發財 Gong Xi Fa Cai "Wishing you prosperity in the coming new year." On February 2nd, we celebrate Chinese New Year and the New Moon in Aquarius.

New Moons signify rebirth, beginnings, a clean slate, the start of a new cycle. This new moon highlights Aquarius qualities (inventive, independent thinking, unconventional, humanitarian) and 11th house themes (friendships, group relations, relation to humanity as a whole). Aquarius is natively ruled by Uranus (radical change), who is in the last degrees of Pisces and linked up with Mercury (thought/communication) and Venus (relationships/finances). In Aquarius, the Moon is eccentric, unpredictable, fun, friendly, and a humanitarian without the emotional attachment.

This Aquarius-New Moon (blending of heart & soul between the Sun and Moon) occurs on February 2 at 6:31 p.m. PST / 9:31 p.m. EST and blends energies with Mars (action/motivation) and all three get friendly with Saturn-rx (reality/hard work). Elsewhere in the sky, in addition to the aforementioned Mercury-Uranus and Venus-Uranus links, Venus is also optimistically aligned with Neptune (hope/insight). This new moon phase is indeed an ideal period to break away from bad habits, old ways of thinking, toxic relationships and/or overall negativity in your life.

My friend, Suzi of Starcana.com wrote Tarot Affirmations that are useful for breaking free from what binds us -- may it be others' influence on us or thoughts/perceptions that keep us in fear/in doubt or even the self that gets in the way -- The Eight of Wands - Movement; Page of Wands Meditation for Purpose; and The Devil. Dependency, Depression, Saturn.

This new moon occurs at 14 degrees of Aquarius. Those born within 3 days of February 2 or July 6; or have planets/house angles around 14 degrees of Aquarius may experience the effects of this new moon stronger than most.

For me, this New Moon falls in my natal 5th house of creative ventures. I have some projects planned for 2011. I have been working on adjusting my schedule to make time for them and gearing up to get them started. This new moon phase is an ideal period to kick start them into action. I'll need to tweak the details to my schedule/plans as I begin to do the actual work and get a realistic feel for what kind of time and energy each step will take. The Aquarius-New Moon trines my Moon and squares my Venus. As I pursue the desires/goals of my inner drives, my existing relationships may go through some changes. Perhaps, I won't be able to hang out as often because I have some personal deadlines to meet if I'm to achieve my goals.

How might this new moon manifest in your life? Look to the natal house/s this new moon will occupy in your birth chart. Match the sign and degree to the sign on the house cusp/s. Use the list below to identify the Aquarius zodiac sign then click here to read about the New Moon in Houses.

Click image to see larger

For those without a birth chart, you may use your Sun sign or Rising/Ascendant sign, if you know it. Look for your Sun and Rising signs below then click here for an explanation of New Moon illuminating those houses.

• Aries-Sun or Aries-Rising ~ 11th house
• Taurus-Sun or Taurus Rising ~ 10th house
• Gemini-Sun or Gemini-Rising ~ 9th house
• Cancer-Sun or Cancer-Rising ~ 8th house
• Leo-Sun or Leo-Rising ~ 7th house
• Virgo-Sun or Virgo-Rising ~ 6th house
• Libra-Sun or Libra-Rising ~ 5th house
• Scorpio-Sun or Scorpio-Rising ~ 4th house
• Sagittarius-Sun or Sagittarius-Rising ~ 3rd house
• Capricorn-Sun or Capricorn-Rising ~ 2nd house
• Aquarius-Sun or Aquarius-Rising ~ 1st house
• Pisces-Sun or Pisces-Rising ~ 12th house

Unsure if you have natal planets/house angles on or around 14 degrees of fixed signs? Cast your own birth chart for use as reference -- birth date, time, and place required.

For those doing the new moon wishes ritual, the moon will be new on February 2 at 6:31 p.m. PST / 9:31 p.m. EST and will be void of course on February 3 at 10:11 p.m. PST; February 4 at 1:11 a.m. EST. Click here for Jan Spiller's DailyOm.com article, briefly explaining new moon wishes. (opens a new window)

I am also available for personal consultations. Are you celebrating a birthday soon? Or know someone who is? Schedule your session for a Solar Return (birthdays) or 3-Chart Reading (detailed natal & overall outlook for the next 12 months) or request a quote for a more customized reading tailored to your needs. You might also consider giving a loved one the gift of insight.

Have a question? Ask me here. Or cruise on over to our free public forum -- AstroCreeps and TarotFreaks Forum* to start or join a discussion.

Related articles:

• New Moon in Natal Houses
• Current Planetary Transits
• Solar Returns Explained ~ your personal year
• Sun in Aquarius ~ January 20 to February 18, 2011
• Mars in Aquarius ~ January 15 to February 22, 2011

*Click here to learn more about the AstroCreeps and TarotFreaks Forum.

Aquarius from the Adler Planetarium, Chicago. Image credit and copyright to Lost Penguin via Flickr.