Last year was a hard one, to say the least, and while January gave us the impression that 2021 was already heading to a rough start, February’s new moon might bring the major shift that we’re all desperately needing. This new moon rises on February 11th — right in the middle of Aquarius season.

“The new moon for February is going to be really exciting, because we’re going to see a lot of shifts happening. Someone told me something really interesting and enlightening recently. She said 2020 was about self-care for survival. It wasn’t self-care because we were home and had time to focus on ourselves. It was self-care for survival because there was no luxury during that time,” says astrologist Esoteric Esa (Jasmin Alejandrez-Prasad). “Now we’re going to notice with the new moon in Aquarius that we’ll be revisiting back into self-care and not feeling the weight of 2020. It’s going to be a much lighter energy. We’re going to be a lot more optimistic.”

Esa recommends dedicating a whole day for self-care and doing new moon rituals for yourself. “Incorporate your friends via Zoom, even if it’s just one other homegirl who likes this. This new moon in Aquarius is a great opportunity to incorporate other people, instead of doing these rituals solo, which we usually tend to do,” she says.

Here are a few self-care practices she suggests incorporating into your new moon ritual:

Light Some Candles

“Aquarius is an air sign, so consider writing down your new moon intentions and lighting up a few candles made with healing ingredients like eucalyptus, which is the herb of health. Mint is a good herb, too, because it’s a cooling property that can help ground Aquarius. Because it’s an air sign, we’re going to be in our heads a lot and overthinking. Lighting candles with these herbs can help calm anxiety,” explains Esa.

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Do a Vision Board

“I would recommend doing a vision board because Aquarius is very visionary. They are very forward thinking, so maybe instead of the traditional cut-out vision board, go on Canva and create your vision board on there,” she says. “Do something that incorporates technology, to make it more Aquarian-like.”

Work with Crystals

“Aquarius is very eccentric and eclectic, so you need crystals that are going to help with self-expression in the throat chakra, like amethyst, lapis lazuli, and blue celestite,” Esa says. “You can work them on your chakras and do meditation with these crystals, lying down and placing them on your body.”

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Meditate with Affirmations

Esa recommends incorporating five positive affirmations into your morning and evening skincare routine:

1) I am empowered through confidence and grace.

2) I am free to be the best version of myself.

3) My individuality is my superpower.

4) I know my blessings will never pass me by.

5) My perception influences my reality.

“Look for a skincare product that has balancing properties, like aloe vera. Balance is important because Aquarius is super-anxious and people who aren’t used to air energy are going to feel all over the place,” she says. “They are going to need to ground and balance their energy. Aloe vera is great because it’s connected to the moon. Cinnamon is also really good because it’s about grounding and protecting your energy.”

Try Aavarni Balance Restoring Serum Mini, $24

Call in Abundance

You can do this in the form of meditations or you can incorporate elements into your beauty routine that represent abundance, like pomegranate. “This moon is very hopeful. We’re planning our visions and our goals, so pomegranate is great because that’s good for abundance,” Esa says.

Try GlowRx Skincare Pomegranate Enzyme Facial Cleanser, $15

Written by Johanna Ferreira