As Mercury moves through Pisces from February 14th to March 3rd, we’re asked to engage with our intuition — and shore up our channels of communication. Though Mercury in Pisces excels at expressing itself through more mysterious mediums like poems, tarot spreads, and film montages, it can be fast and loose with concrete details and precise definitions. The messenger planet is in detriment in this mutable water sign, meaning it can struggle to get its point across in a cut-and-dried fashion. With Mercury in this placement, we may be extra receptive to subtle signals from the cosmos, but translating that info may be less straightforward.

‍

Dream deep, but remember to come up for air

Mercury in Pisces is known to get so immersed in dreams, impressions, and speculations that they feel objectively real. So it’s worth interrogating moments when you’ve acted on a gut feeling or a vague hunch without posing follow-up questions to clarify what’s going on. Fact-checking your fantasies is always a good practice, but especially during this transit. Noticing when your mind tends to get carried away can help you pinpoint any life experiences that you may be subconsciously avoiding.

‍

Go with the creative flow

With reliable tools to ground your conversations and sturdy guardrails to solidify your schedule, you can take advantage of the ample support that Mercury in Pisces provides for your creativity and imagination. That being said, remember to balance your focus and organization with a willingness to go with the flow. Over the coming weeks, do your best to wrangle your plans into place, but also prepare for unexpected detours. The less attached you are to a particular outcome or order of operations, the more fun you can have with the unusual magic and trickster energy that Mercury in Pisces brings. Stay open to inspiring surprises, follow through on off-the-cuff epiphanies, and feel your feelings as deeply as possible — then discover what happens.

‍

From January 27th to February 14th, Mercury — the planet of learning and communication — travels through Aquarius. In this innovative air sign, Mercury dials up our analytical prowess and sharpens our perceptions of the systems we live in — including the restrictive boxes we’re ready to bust out of. Whether you’re fact-checking a friend’s blog post, competing for a debate club trophy, articulating your campaign platform for city council, or dissecting stale social norms, lean in to the questions, conversations, and data sets that move the needle closer to a more equitable future.

As the messenger planet enters Aquarius just a week after Inauguration Day in the United States, we can all benefit from Mercury’s newfound ability to zoom out and take in the bigger picture. Mercury in Aquarius has a gift for thinking beyond reductive binaries and focusing on the good of the collective — this is crucial medicine.

Yet detaching too much from the messier facets of being human doesn’t serve anyone in the long run. A blueprint or manifesto that seems foolproof on paper won’t work in practice if it doesn’t factor in fluctuating emotions and unpredictable experiences. Over the coming weeks, lead with your trailblazing research, but remember to leave wiggle room for the mysteries that can’t be plotted, graphed, or computed. Doing so will help you bring your utopian ideals down to Earth and express your vision for building a more interconnected world.

From January 8th to January 27th, Mercury — the planet of communication — moves through Capricorn. When the trickster and chatterbox of the cosmos settles into this no-nonsense earth sign, clear and pragmatic thinking wins the day. Over the next few weeks, stretch your mind to take longer-term plans into account. Invite yourself to map out what you want the coming month, season, or year to hold.

‍

Working hard ≠ burning out

Mercury delights in logic and systems, and Capricorn loves a good challenge. When their powers are combined, there’s no goal that can’t be achieved, no matter how long it takes. You can harness this industrious, go-getting attitude by breaking down your projects into bite-size, doable steps. Read: doable. In other words, don’t burn yourself out. Mercury in Capricorn is more interested in playing the long game than in shooting for overnight results, and it teaches us just how effective patience and dedication can be.

‍

Reminder: Be kinder

That said, notice when your self-talk curdles into harsh critique. It can be a little too easy to judge yourself when Mercury in Capricorn is involved. But who says that the toughest feedback is the most motivating? You don’t have to bully yourself into success. During this transit, ditch the notion that strict discipline is the best way to get the outcomes you want. Instead, remind yourself as often as possible that it’s more than okay to be kind. Self-compassion won’t undermine your progress; offering yourself soft, supportive words of encouragement will elevate all your efforts.