Aquarius Solar Eclipse & Fire Horse: A New Timeline

At 4:00 AM PST on February 17th, the Moon eclipses the Sun at 28° Aquarius. Twenty-eight degrees carries the weight of lived experience. It knows what has been tested and what has matured. It knows what can no longer be carried forward into this new timeline.

This is the first Aquarius eclipse since 2018, but the storyline has shifted. In 2018, the South Node was in Aquarius. We were clearing Aquarian karma — detachment patterns, ideological rigidity, hiding in group identity, intellectualizing emotions rather than feeling them. Now, the North Node is in Aquarius. We are moving toward Aquarian embodiment. We are not “leaving the Leo South Node behind.” We are not swinging away from the self to prioritize the collective. Eclipses are about balancing opposing forces so they generate creative tension rather than fragmentation. This is yin and yang, heart and head, personal radiance and shared future.

Leo represents authenticity, creative self-expression, sovereignty of the heart. At its highest vibration, Leo is courageous presence, and at its lowest, it performs for applause, seeks validation, and equates attention with love. Meanwhile, Aquarius represents collective intelligence, innovation, and liberation from outdated structures. At its highest vibration, it sees the bigger picture and serves humanity with emotional wisdom. At its lowest, it detaches, rebels without purpose, or dissolves identity in the group.

This eclipse is not about diminishing Leo so Aquarius can lead. It is about raising Leo to its highest frequency so that the collective we are building is rooted in authentic heart. The new world does not require smaller individuals, but ones who are fully themselves.

Aquarius is symbolized by the Water Bearer, and yet it is an air sign. The Water Bearer carries emotional intelligence to the people... but does not drown in it. Aquarius transmits feeling through thought and distributes awareness without being consumed. That is the medicine here: to care deeply without collapsing into emotional chaos, to hold vision without losing embodiment.

The Portal Before Fire: Saturn & Neptune at 1° Aries

Three days after this eclipse, on February 20th, Saturn and Neptune meet at 1° Aries. This is a once-in-a-lifetime conjunction at the very first degree of the zodiac... the spark point of initiation. Saturn (structure, maturity, boundaries) merges with Neptune (dreams, dissolution, spirituality). The dream meets form and the vision demands embodiment.

This eclipse is the portal before ignition.

Saturn is the traditional ruler of Aquarius, making this alignment even more prominent. What has been conceptualized now wants to be acted upon and lived because Aries leads by example. Fire and air now start to dominate the sky, moving energy and animating ideas. Together, they accelerate change, but acceleration without self-awareness can destabilize.

The Square to Uranus: Discomfort as Liberation

The Sun and Moon in Aquarius form a tight square to Uranus in Taurus, Aquarius’ modern ruler. Uranus has been transiting Taurus since 2018, revolutionizing our relationship to value, money, security, the body, the land, and what we consider stable. In April, Uranus completes this transit. Something about the Taurus-ruled area of your chart has irrevocably changed over the last eight years. Your values are not what they were. Your relationship to security has evolved. The structures you once relied upon have been shaken.

This eclipse activates that tension point because squares create friction. But friction generates heat... and heat generates movement. The discomfort you feel is the sensation of stepping into unfamiliar freedom. Aquarius wants to break rules and do things differently. Uranus insists on authenticity over comfort.

However, when rules dissolve, it can be possible to lose the self entirely if freedom becomes ungrounded. This is where Leo’s highest vibration becomes essential. Courage rooted in the heart's truth.

Venus, Mercury & The North Node in Pisces

While this eclipse falls in Aquarius, the Lunar Nodes have not yet shifted signs officially (that comes later in 2026). Venus and Mercury are also conjunct the North Node in Pisces, reminding us that we are still closing the Pisces–Virgo eclipse storyline that began in late 2024.

With this energy, relationships come into focus. Venus is exalted in Pisces. She desires to merge beyond what is practical or rational. She believes in love that dissolves boundaries, so themes of merging, connection and spiritual longing may emerge.

This is where discernment (Virgo's medicine) remains critical. We are learning to open our hearts without abandoning our boundaries. To trust without self-betrayal and to recognize that connection which transcends the ordinary still requires maturity. Pisces without Virgo becomes delusion and Virgo without Pisces becomes cynicism... the integration is compassionate clarity.

The Aquarius Solar Eclipse & Six-Month Arc

We are now in an eclipse portal that extends through late March, with another eclipse in Virgo arriving on March 3rd. The effects of these eclipses will reverberate for six months.

Eclipses are not singular events. They are portals that unfold gradually.. so what initiates now will continue to reveal itself through August.

This Aquarius eclipse offers a preview of the larger Leo–Aquarius story that will unfold over the next roughly 18 months. We are learning what authentic leadership looks like in community.

The Fire Horse Year Begins

On this same day, the Year of the Fire Horse begins. The Fire Horse carries intense Yang energy... speed, passion, independence, instinct. It favors courage and decisive action. It invites us to move toward what calls us instinctively. But fire requires stewardship and the Fire Horse year asks us to mature in how we relate to desire. To examine the place from which we act or react and to cultivate discernment alongside boldness. The Fire Horse reminds us that enthusiasm without direction can spiral into excess and passion without self-awareness can burn what we are trying to build. This year is about harnessing instinct consciously and about tending the inner flame rather than letting it consume us.

Mythic Thread: Prometheus & The Sacred Flame

Aquarius is often associated with Prometheus... the Titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity. Fire is knowledge, awareness and power and Prometheus was punished for giving this to humans.

With Saturn and Neptune about to ignite at 1° Aries, with the Fire Horse running, and with Uranian electricity in the air... we are being handed fire again. The question is how consciously we will carry it.

If you would like a deeper exploration of eclipse season themes — visibility, shedding performance, and stepping into authentic presence — I speak about this extensively in my latest podcast episode on eclipse season.

This Solar Eclipse at 28° Aquarius is electric, disruptive and visionary. It invites us to mature our individuality so that the collective future we are stepping into is built on authenticity rather than performance. The portal is open and the fire is lit... and it asks: are you willing to be seen as you truly are?

Much love,

xo Vanja

Where is 28 degrees of Aquarius in my chart? What is this telling me about the themes that are emerging for me at this time?

Where have I been performing instead of being authentic? What does high-vibration Leo leadership look like in my life?

How can I participate in collective change without losing myself?

What has fundamentally shifted in my values since 2018?

Where am I being invited to act boldly... and how can I do so responsibly?

In relationships, where do I need both compassion and discernment right now?

Embodiment Practice: Gathering With Your Herd

Aquarius rules the nervous system and the lower legs... the parts of us that carry us into the future. Before you initiate anything bold under this eclipse, regulate your body.

Go for a slow walk. Feel your calves engage. Lengthen your exhale. Let your gaze soften toward the horizon. Notice: are you moving from grounded instinct or urgency? Fire needs containment to become leadership.

Then, gather with your people. Horses are powerful not because they run alone ... but because they regulate in herds. Sit in a circle, around a fire if possible. Each person names one truth they are no longer willing to perform… and one bold step they feel called toward this year.

This is the integration of Leo and Aquarius. Authentic individuals. Regulated nervous systems. Moving forward together.