Long-Term Shifts coming up in 2009

2009 marks the beginning of Pluto’s journey in Capricorn, where it will spend 25 years teaching us about power and responsibility.  Meanwhile, Saturn is still traveling through Virgo, giving a chance to reorganize and restructure to those of us who haven’t done it in the last year and a half.  Saturn has come into opposition with Uranus, bringing the conventional, rule-making side of us into direct conflict with the progressive, iconoclastic side.  These things affect individual people in individual areas of life according to their own astrology charts.

In 2009 there will be a momentous triple conjunction of Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter.  This combination spells a spiritual shift of great proportions, which will be directly affecting our new president-elect.  More about that in an upcoming blogpost.

What does all this mean?  In January I will create a page dedicated to the astrological trends of 2009, so stay tuned for more details.

Mercury Watch

Mercury is moving forward slowly at the beginning of January and turns retrograde on the 11th.  You can expect snarl-ups in paperwork at work and miscommunications in your personal life.  Look here for details on January’s Mercury retrograde period and what you can do about it.

Seasons

The sign of Capricorn heralds the beginning of true winter.  In the deepest darkness, light begins to be born.  We gather around the hearth fire and hibernate, conserving our energy.  Capricorn is a Cardinal Earth sign.  The Cardinal driving force of Capricorn takes the form of ambition, fueled by scarcity and the ability to accept limitations and turn them into benefits.  Capricorn is the ultimate lemons-into-lemonade sign.  This year Capricorn runs from December 21 to January 18.

This year Aquarius begins on January 19.  As a Fixed Air sign, Aquarius is stubborn-minded, believing that ideals are the most important thing.  Aquarius is humanitarian, the sign under which community gathers in winter, so that people may bind together to make it through the cold, harsh times.  The European pagan festival of Brigid (February 2, adapted by the Catholic Church as Candlemas) involves the lighting of candles to remind us that there is light in the darkness and that the light is now increasing as the days grow longer.

Lunation

To describe a lunation is to describe a feeling state that human beings will be prone to, a general mood.

Full Moon in Cancer:  Saturday, January 10
Curl up in the safety of your nest during this very domestic full moon.  If feelings run high, allow them to keep moving and wash you clean from the inside out.  The Moon’s harmonious trine relationship to Uranus supports powerful intuition and insight, while its sextile to Saturn lends a practical note.  Let intuition flow without judgment and then make real, practical use of what you’ve gleaned.

January’s  Full Moon is called the Wolf Moon.

Eclipse

This January’s second lunation is an eclipse.  Eclipses are particularly powerful lunations, which put into place themes that last for six months, until the next same type of eclipse (solar or lunar).  Not everyone feels a given eclipse personally, but when you do, it’s usually pretty distinct.  Frequently an eclipse will capture and weave in the qualities of planets traveling nearby, making such a planet a Shadow Agent.  This planet will help reveal your shadow.

New Moon in Aquarius/Solar Eclipse:  Sunday, January 25
January’s new moon is also a solar eclipse.  Solar eclipses tend to manifest in physical ways (rather than the emotional ways of a lunar eclipse), so have care for your well-being.  This eclipse features Jupiter as its Shadow Agent, bringing real-world/external experiences of your shadow through his area of life, which includes growth, philosophy and travel.  Jupiter may show you an area of your life in which unchecked growth consumes all that is near it, making sustainability impossible.  Or Jupiter may show you an area in which you have become over-zealous, forcing your philosophy on others.  Expect a resurgence of this theme near the new moon of April 24.

“Fortune Cookies” for January 2009

1/1/09, Mercury enters Aquarius:  Mercury moves slowly into Aquarius today and will return to Capricorn briefly later in the month.  While the winged god is in Aquarius, enjoy brilliance and breakthrough thinking.
1/3/09, Venus enters Pisces:  As the love goddess leaves gregarious Aquarius for dreamy Pisces, the social mood may turn introverted.  Enjoy small gatherings for the duration (until February 2nd).
1/4/09, Venus sextiles Pluto:  Do people in power attract you?  Then follow your instincts today—you may make a helpful connection.
1/5/09, Jupiter enters Aquarius:  Oh frabjous day!  When joyful Jupiter moves into zany Aquarius, there’s no end to the networking opportunities.  Prepare for a year of growthful and fun interactions with groups.
1/9/09, Sun sextiles Uranus:  Funny how a small change in paradigm can have a ripple effect.  Use that leverage today.
1/10/09, Full Moon in Cancer:  This moon overflows with passion and sensitivity.  If you’re not used to strong feelings, grab onto the nearest rock.
1/11/09, Mercury turns retrograde:  This month Mercury demands you clean up communications in your networks, but he adds, you have to go back and work more on career first.  Find out what this means on the Mercury Retrograde page.
1/11/09, Sun trines Saturn:  This is a great day for being productive and organized.  I suggest you take advantage of it. 
1/18/09, Mercury conjunct Jupiter:  Full to overflowing with astounding ideas?  Sometimes an expanded mind is too much of a good thing.  Put your ideas to the test.
1/19/09, Sun enters Aquarius:  The mood lightens up and turns more social as the Sun leaves hardworking Capricorn for experimental Aquarius.   
1/20/09, Sun conjuncts Mercury:  Today is a day of illumination.  A project you’ve been working on may have a breakthrough today.
1/20/09, Mercury enters Capricorn:  Now, why Mercury, the intellectual god, would want to leave Aquarius (sign of bright ideas) for Capricorn (analytical, critical, judgmental) I don’t know.  But he is doing just that.
1/21/09, no exact aspects:  It’s one of those sometimes-eerie days in which no exact connections are being made by planets in the sky.  Don’t commit to anything big before tomorrow.  Definitely don’t sign any contracts today.
1/22/09, Mars sextiles Uranus:  Feeling jumpy?  Work off that extra nervous energy at the gym.
1/22/09, Venus conjuncts Uranus:  Today you could meet someone unusual, brilliant or strange.  Or maybe all three. 
1/23/09, Sun conjuncts Jupiter:  Now that Jupiter’s in Aquarius, maybe you should throw a party.  For extra fun, weave in some form of performance.
1/24/09, Mars trines Saturn:  This day is great for taking action on your long-term goals and enjoying effortless results.
1/24/09, Venus opposes Saturn:  Pleasure vs. responsibility—that’s the dilemma today.  To relax and daydream or do your duty and work hard?  For best results, balance them.
1/24/09, Venus sextiles Mars:  Today, pleasure and responsibility are no longer at odds, but actually working together.  Enjoy doing what you love.
1/25/09, New Moon in Aquarius, Solar Eclipse:  Do you tend to be escapist?  A flight risk?  If so, this new moon may show you your shadow.
1/26/09, Mercury sextiles Venus:  How much sweeter are life’s joys when they are well-planned and executed?  Today is a day for such planning.
1/26/09, Mercury conjuncts Mars:  Sharpen your mind.  Focus it.  Plan things out to the smallest detail.  Then, when it’s perfect, make your move.  That’s effectiveness.
1/31/09, Mercury goes direct:  have you cleaned up your career sufficiently?  Then you can go back to networking, as soon as Mercury moves back into Aquarius.