Born in February: zodiac sign and personality

February holds two signs. Those born from 1 to 18 February are Aquarius, fixed air ruled by Saturn, and those born from 19 to 29 February, the leap day included, are Pisces, mutable water ruled by Jupiter. The month carries the zodiac from its most detached sign into its most compassionate one.

February's gift to its people is sensitivity of an unusual kind. The Aquarius born feel for humanity as a whole; the Pisces born feel for the person in front of them. Both see further than most, both resist being told how to live, and both carry an idealism the world tests early and rarely breaks.

Born 1 to 18 February: Aquarius

February Aquarians belong to the second and third decans of their sign. In the first eight days Mercury colours the decan through Gemini: these natives are quick, talkative, inventive and never short of an argument or a friend. From around the ninth, Venus enters through Libra, and the Aquarian edge softens into charm, a feeling for fairness and an eye for design.

All of them think independently: loyal to principles before people, kind without fuss, stubborn once they have reasoned something through. What looks like coolness is a refusal to perform feelings they have not yet sorted out.

Born 19 to 29 February: Pisces

Those born from 19 February to the end of the month are Pisces of the first decan, the sign at its most fluid and receptive. They absorb the atmosphere of any room, pick up what others leave unsaid and need time alone to give back what is not theirs. Imagination is their native country: music, images, dreams and prayer come to them more easily than plans.

February Pisceans are gentle, generous and harder to pin down than they look. Their strength is compassion; their task is to choose a direction and keep to it.

The Aquarius Pisces cusp: 16 to 21 February

Around 19 February the Sun slips from Aquarius into Pisces, and those born in the days on either side of the crossing share in both signs. This stretch is known as the cusp of sensitivity: Aquarian vision joined to Piscean empathy, people who understand the world's problems and feel them personally, and who need solitude as much as company.

February born in love and marriage

Aquarius wants a partner who is a friend first and a lover second, and who leaves room for their causes and their circle. Gemini, Libra, Aries and Sagittarius understand that need, and Leo, the opposite sign, gives them the warmth they forget to ask for. The Libra decan of mid February is the most romantic Aquarius of the year.

Pisces loves completely and quickly. They do best with a partner who is kind and steady: Cancer and Scorpio share their depth, Taurus and Capricorn give them ground, and Virgo, their opposite, brings the order they lack. In marriage, February Pisceans are devoted and forgiving, and they need that devotion returned.

February born at work and with money

Aquarius belongs where the future is being shaped: technology, science, broadcasting, design, community work and humanitarian causes. They work well in teams they respect and badly under authority they do not. Money for them is a tool for independence, and they spend it on ideas and friends more than on show.

Pisces works best where imagination or care is the job: music, film, photography, writing, teaching, charity and the caring professions. They are generous with money and casual about it, so a standing order into savings, or a trusted partner keeping the accounts, serves them well.

February birthstone and colours: amethyst

The February birthstone is the amethyst, the violet quartz whose Greek name means not intoxicated. The ancients set it in drinking cups to keep a clear head, and bishops later wore it as a stone of sobriety and devotion. For the February born it is the stone of a clear mind kept inside a feeling heart.

February's colours are violet and lilac, with the pale silver of late winter light. Aquarius adds electric blue and turquoise; Pisces adds sea green and soft mauve.

The spiritual meaning of February

February takes its name from the Roman februa, the rites of purification held before the new year began in spring. Its spiritual reading is cleansing and preparation: on 1 and 2 February the old festivals of Imbolc and Candlemas mark the first return of light, when snowdrops appear and the year begins to stir.

In the tarot, Aquarius answers to the Star, the card of hope and healing waters, and Pisces to the Moon, the card of dreams, intuition and the path walked by night. Those born in February carry both: a hope that survives disappointment, and a sight that works best in the dark.

What zodiac sign is February?

February has two signs. Those born from 1 to 18 February are Aquarius, and those born from 19 to 29 February are Pisces.

Is 19 February Aquarius or Pisces?

On our table, Pisces opens on 19 February and Aquarius closes on 18 February. Because the crossing shifts by some hours from year to year, a birth on the day itself is settled by the hour.

What zodiac sign is 29 February?

Those born on 29 February are Pisces. The leap day falls ten days into Pisces, well clear of both cusps.

What is the birthstone for February?

The February birthstone is the amethyst, a violet quartz traditionally worn as a stone of clarity, sobriety and spiritual protection.

What are people born in February like?

February people are idealistic, independent and sensitive to what others feel. The Aquarius born think in terms of the group and the future; the Pisces born are compassionate, imaginative and deeply intuitive.