February 2024: Tarot spread for the new moon in Aquarius

Plus an astro-tarot forecast, a personal values exercise and an exploration of the Sabian symbol for the new moon in Aquarius.

The February 2024 new moon falls in the sign of Aquarius. The independent, free-thinking Aquarius archetype encourages us to examine our inner wild self and celebrate everything that makes us unique. It is the archetype of the reformer, the idealist who strives for tolerance, unity, and a better and brighter society. And despite these rather lofty ideals, the Aquarius archetype isn’t afraid to get in there and get its hands dirty.

Spiritually, the Aquarius archetype teaches us how to be true to our own voice, to listen to and follow the calling of our own heart and soul. By learning how to tune in rather than out, by being true to the things that make us unique, we undertake the journey to individuation.

This new moon also highlights our sense of self-worth and self-esteem, which are intrinsically tied to our finances, our emotions, and the things we value. This Aquarius moon encourages us to reflect on our tangible and intangible possessions (our feelings and emotions, as well as our inner selves, needs and wants) and our values — specifically on the ways in which our material possessions are either harming or supporting us.

Ideally, our possessions should bring us a sense of well-being rather than a feeling of being surrounded by things that just don’t really feel like us. This leads us to question what we value (both tangibly and intangibly) and why, and to examine what we own, what we want to own, and why. Being mindful around purchase decisions around this lunation would be wise.

Astro-tarot influences for the February 2024 new moon in Aquarius

To throw some more light on this new moon, let’s take a look at the astro-tarot influences of this lunation. The Aquarius new moon falls in decan 3, which is represented by the 7 of Swords. This is to be interpreted in conjunction with The Star, which is associated with Aquarius.

Some of the words closely associated with the 7 of Swords are deceit and deception; sneakiness and betrayal. And while those themes may certainly be valid, I tend to look at the cards as a mirror to my — and our collective — psyche. And the word that floats to my consciousness is self sabotage, so let’s examine that a bit.

All of us have an inner saboteur. It’s the voice in our head that says “yes-but” and then lists all the reasons why we cannot have or do something. Or it may list out all of the reasons why things just won’t work out for us, or tell us we just don’t have the energy to go after what we want.

If we aren’t aware of its patterns, our inner saboteur can block our attempts to go after the things that truly matter to us. But what the saboteur is really doing is reflecting our fears of taking responsibility for our choices and for the things we want to create.

In her writings about the saboteur archetype, Carolyn Myss highlights that at its core, the saboteur represents the fear of inviting change into your life. If you think about it, we typically self sabotage ourselves when we are faced with a choice that has the potential to transform the contours of our lives — applying for a new job or a different role at your place of work, starting or expanding a business, putting a creative vision or idea out into the world, moving to a different city. All of these desires are quickly met with a flood of negative thoughts — worries about not being good enough, of making the wrong choice, of rocking the boat and being unable to right it.

Here’s the rub, though: sometimes, those voices of doubt may just be pointing you to a deeper truth — your own personal truth. Often times, the hills we want to climb are not our own. Many of us have pursued goals, often with grit and determination and sweat and tears, only to realize that achieving that goal didn’t fulfill us…it wasn’t what we wanted…we were influenced by the things we saw around us and went and chased someone else’s shiny.

So how do we determine if our thoughts are sabotaging us, or if they’re trying to point us to our personal truth? Both those voices can sound somewhat similar, but there’s a subtle difference, I think. When we are self sabotaging ourselves, we are constantly making excuses — I can’t, it won’t work, I would but…. But when we find ourselves questioning if we are sure about a certain path or a certain choice, examining if that is truly what we want, that’s when we need to pay attention and dig a little deeper.

This is also where getting really clear about our values, about what truly matters to us, comes in, which is one of the themes of this new moon cycle.

Sabian Symbol for the February 2024 new moon

The Sabian Symbol for Aquarius 20 degrees is A Woman Disappointed And Disillusioned, Courageously Facing The Future.

In some ways, I think this symbol ties in to the theme of self sabotage that we have been examining. Disappointment and disillusionment can stem from a variety of factors, including from the times when we put obstacles in our own way, as well as the times when we chase certain dreams or goals that don’t really matter to us.

Then there are the times when we realize that our dream may never really bear fruit, or that they may take much longer to materialize than we had hoped. That can lead to feelings of wasted energy and feelings of failure and disappointment. But, as Lynda Hill writes in 360 Degrees of Wisdom: The Sabian Oracle, “It is always important to look on ‘Disappointment’ and loss as a teacher…Trying to be objective can help, as things could improve far beyond your expectations or dreams in the future…Reconnect with what is available and possible in your situation. Although it requires courage and faith to get back on track, we always return to life with greater wisdom and understanding.”

Tarot spread for the February 2024 Aquarius new moon

Here’s a tarot spread to tap into the energy of this new moon.

1. How do I self sabotage myself? This card will give you an clearer look at the kinds of thought patterns that hold you back. Pay attention to the suit and the imagery as you interpret this card.

2. What does my inner saboteur want me to know? This is the light to the shadow cast by the previous card. Read it as a message of encouragement.

3. What message does my inner wise one have for me? Read this in relation to card 1. See how it deepens of shifts your understanding of that card.

4. Mamma moon says: This is always an encouraging message

If you share your spreads on Instagram, please use the hashtag #moontarotstories or tag me @moderngypsy.in so we can connect with each other.

Personal values exercise for the new moon in Aquarius

Instead of journaling questions, spend some time during this moon cycle to get clear on your values. Here are a few resources to get you started:

Personal values: How to know who you really are by Mark Manson: If you can get over Mark Manson’s potty mouth, this is actually a pretty good, comprehensive explainer of values, and how to find and live by your values.

An online test to help you identify your values: This isn’t your “internet quiz” style test. This site gives you a list of values to choose from, and then helps you drill down to your top values.

Once you’ve got your values, see if your goals and actions align with them; if not, it may be time to course-correct.