By Amanda Painter

With yesterday’s last quarter Moon, we reached the midpoint between eclipses. In a week, on Feb. 15, there will be a partial solar eclipse with the New Moon in Aquarius. This means you’re still within the Eclipse Zone — though you might consider this next week a particularly good time for wrapping up any projects or tasks you’d like to get out of the way, to clear the path to where you want to be.

Photo by Amanda Painter

In the next few days, some of the more prominent astrological highlights appear poised to help you along. The biggest of these is the Aquarius Sun making a square to Jupiter in Scorpio, exact Saturday just after 6:20 pm EST (23:21 UTC).

This is the latest in a series of astrological squares this week that have been urging you to take some direct action in various matters, both internal and external. Sun-Jupiter squares are generally very useful: they represent plenty of energy to get ahead — if you are disciplined about it, and avoid veering into excess.

Astrologer Robert Hand also notes with this aspect that if you’re naturally cautious, a Sun-Jupiter square is likely to give you the inclination and ability to do more than usual. Meanwhile, if you tend to be overly optimistic, you might want to beware of biting off more than you can chew as the weekend approaches.

Yet with the Sun in the sign of groups, and Jupiter (the cosmic magnifier) in the sign of secrets, I also see a reminder to keep the pursuit of your goals completely above-board. Yes, there are times when it’s crucial to keep your dreams and plans to yourself (such as in the delicate initial incubation stage, when the wrong word from someone insensitive or envious could be the wet blanket that completely smothers your motivation and self-confidence). Yet there are also times when being secretive with others opens the way for a person to stray too far from his or her ethics.

That would be the point against which to measure your intention and actions. As long as you have some ways to check yourself for dishonesty, exaggeration and poor judgment — which might mean involving another person in the process — you should be able to use this energy to move toward your goals. As I’ve mentioned recently, keep looking where you want to be — but also look for the common ground with others.

Speaking of common ground: collective empathy, compassion and a sense of unity with all life should get a boost this weekend. Just two minutes before the Sun-Jupiter square, Venus enters Pisces (at 6:19 pm EST / 23:19 UTC). See if you notice a little more softness, passion, sensitivity or affection begin to color your outlook and interactions. (Remember: although Venus is a receptive influence, you can also intentionally invite and offer these qualities if you’d like to cultivate and enjoy them more.)

About three hours after Venus enters Pisces, the Moon enters Capricorn (at 9:21 pm EST / 2:21 UTC Sunday). With the Moon at 1 Capricorn conjunct the centaur Pholus, and both objects sextile Venus in Pisces, we get an intriguing moment that looks ripe for initiating or moving forward with any kind of creative project — or gestures of love (especially something ‘traditional’, since Capricorn is involved). Remember that with Pholus in the picture, small moves count for a lot.

Between this morning and Saturday evening, we’ll have the Moon in Sagittarius. This could help boost your optimism if you feel like your momentum is flagging regarding certain goals.

You might also notice an urge to wiggle a little freer in your usual daily routines the next couple days — whether that means working remotely in a new cafe, having no set plan for the day, or indulging in some seasonal wanderlust. If big-picture visions call to you over the next couple days, see if you can hitch that to the wagon of Mercury in Aquarius, which offers steady and original thinking, and a mind for engaging group resources to serve a goal.

In the meantime, continue to watch for those unexpected opportunities and synchronicities. You never know when tying up a loose end could enable you to step through a doorway without tripping on your laces.

Eric is busily working on The Art of Becoming, the 2018 Planet Waves Annual; and it’s shaping up to be an exciting, information-packed edition. You can pre-order all 12 chapter-length signs here, or you may choose your individual signs here.