From February 19 until March 19, the sun is in the sign of Pisces. If your birthday falls on these dates, that means you are a Pisces sun sign and the embodiment of that particular energy. Happy birthday! But regardless if you were born during this time or not, we all feel a subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) shift during this time.

The sign of Pisces is the ruler of the 12th house: all of that, which is unseen, or hiding under the surface. Your subconscious, your dreams, deeply ingrained beliefs, karma, intuition, destiny and your connection to something bigger and grander than you. While the sun transits this sign, all of these hidden things can come up to the surface in many unexpected ways. It is literally like shining a torch into a deep pond.

Here are three tips for helping you make the most out of this transit this year:

1) Prioritise getting enough sleep

Dreams are when our subconscious minds reorganise themselves, integrate new information that has come up during the day and process recent themes and developments. You may actually notice that your dreams are more intense and vivid during this time, or that you sleep more deeply than usual. This is totally normal and very much encouraged this month. Make sure you allow yourself the time to get adequate rest. It’s the one time of year where sleeping is exceptionally productive! You may also like to consider writing down your dreams after waking to see if any interesting topics and themes come up for you. You may also experience unusual dream phenomena such as sleep paralysis or lucid dreaming. Know that this is simply your subconscious bringing up buried stuff to be processed and done with.

2) Practise tuning into your intuition

This is a time of year when everyone’s intuitive abilities are just a little bit sharper, so what better time to learn how to play with them? Everyone’s intuition comes through a bit differently and it takes practice to recognise it. It could be a physical sensation in your stomach or in your chest, a sudden sense of knowing something you have no way of knowing, or in some cases even a nagging thought. Sometimes synchronicities show us to follow a particular idea, whether that’s 11:11 on the microwave, or a particular song that comes on and seemingly answers a question you’ve just asked yourself. This is the month to explore all of this further. This is the month to take a different route home, or to call a friend you haven’t spoken to for a while, just because you have a strange urge to do so. Practices like yoga, breathwork or meditation can be particularly useful during this time to help you quiet down the mind, so that intuitive insight can come through.

3) Be gentle and compassionate with yourself

All of this subsconscious processing business can be pretty exhausting, so don’t be mad at yourself if your physical or mental stamina is a bit low – this will pick up again pretty soon, don’t worry! There can be a knock-on effect on your emotional state too, with hidden feelings suddenly bubbling to the surface in a burst of anger or tears. Be kind to yourself if this happens. Nourish yourself with good food and surround yourself with good people. You may come out of Pisces season with an entirely new, improved way to look at your life.