The Most Powerful New Moon Of The Year Is Here

If you've been itching for a celestial clean slate, your wait is over. The new moon in Aquarius is happening on February 1, and it's giving us the chance for a fresh start, both personally and in the collective sense. This new moon is also happening on the same day as the Lunar New Year, which is the real start of the year for those who practice Chinese astrology. The "new year, new me" vibes here will be extra powerful.

Narayana Montúfar, senior astrologer for Astrology.com and author of Moon Signs: Unlock Your Inner Luminary Power, says that this new moon is exactly the kind of energy we need right now. "For starters, it’s the third lunation that occurs in January, which is rare," she says. Being that it's the second new moon of the month, it's known as a black moon. "It is also sandwiched between the direct turn of Venus and Mercury," she continues. "This gives this lunation a potent energetic signature that will help us abandon the past and move into the future with more confidence." New moons always usher in new beginnings, and this particular one is supercharged with optimistic, forward-moving, change-the-world energy thanks to these two retrogrades coming to an end.

We'll be driven to show our independence and our authenticity during this time, with the Aquarian lunation asking us "to vibrate at your highest potential," according to Madi Murphy, co-founder of The Cosmic RX and The Cosmic Revolution. Ask yourself, "What do you need to feel comfortable in your most authentic truth? When you are in your most authentic self, you are unstoppable," she says. "Is there a side of you that you think is weird or awkward? How can you invite this side of you to the table more? Armed with all parts of you, you can then show up with bravery, courage, and conviction in service to our greater collective." What will propel you towards this new moon energy is to not only be yourself, but embrace yourself.

Socializing and brainstorming with others will be at the top of our wants list this week. Progressive changes in our lives can happen now, and Murphy says we should use the abundance of Aquarian energies to think bigger. Leslie Hale, psychic astrologer for Keen.com, agrees, saying that now is the time to think outside the box. "Aquarius sparks new ideas, new visions, and new and different ways of approaching things," she says. "Tried and true solutions may be a positive, but this is the time to look toward the future along with better, if not cutting-edge types of solutions and ideas." Be prepared for a rush of innovation and inspiration to hit you this week. Don't let these light bulb moments slip away, and use them to your advantage.

While new moons almost always have us focusing on the future, we'll also be using this time to take a look back. "This lunation will set off the Saturn and Uranus square that was one of the astrological highlights of 2021," says Lisa Stardust, author of Saturn Return Survival Guide and The Astrology Deck. Think about where you were at on February 17, 2021, June 14, 2021, and December 24, 2021 — we'll be emotionally taken back to those dates during the lunation. "We will be able to reassess situations that occurred during this time and decide how we want to continue existing relationships," she says.

Montúfar agrees. "If there were considerable changes that we wanted to make in 2021 that we were not able to pull, this lunation brings a cut-cording energy that functions as a second chance," she says. "Uranus’ influence assists us in leaving the past behind while Saturn’s guidance helps us lay a new foundation for ourselves."

If you're a Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius, you'll be feeling an especially harmonious and positive effect from this new moon. Yana Yanovich, astrologer at Nebula, says that because the spirit of Aquarius is humanitarian and socially-oriented, people of these signs will notice an irresistible calling to "give to society at large, to a local community, or a group of people in need," Yanovich says. "Do not pass it by — help yourself by helping the world you’re a part of, and this will be just as beneficial to you as it will be to those you’re going to help."

While we're basking in the glow of this lunation, think back to your New Year's resolutions — what haven't you put into motion yet? What do you want to achieve? Now, make it happen. "This new moon wants to remind us that our thoughts, emotions and actions create an electromagnetic field around us and a frequency in which we constantly emit," Murphy says. "Your energy speaks for you before you do — what is it saying?"