Wow. Just wow.
January 2020: a month astrologers
have literally been talking about for years in advance and the rest of us will
be talking about for years to come. It is
with much trepidation and consideration that I write this message. I struggle to inform but not scare
anyone. What’s up? A whole lot.
There are three, yes 3, significant cosmic events occurring
on the same weekend. The veil is ripped
from our eyes, and our lives. It is a
moment of stark, definitive endings to make way for the new. We stand naked on the other side, stripped of
all pretenses and defenses. Sound
dramatic, even melodramatic? Perhaps.
I’m sure you’ve noticed what is happening in your own life
and in those around you. This is no
accident. There are no
coincidences. The weekend of January
10-11 is the point of no return. After
which, the die is cast. So let’s break
it down.
Leftover from December, a dominance of Capricorn energy
crowds our plates: five planets (plus
Ceres if you, like the astronomers count it as a planet) cycle through
authoritarian, cold-as-ice, diligent Capricorn.
Get the work done and don’t mess around doing it, Capricorn. Yes, that one. Generous Jupiter has now shifted out of its
home sign, philosophical Sagittarius and joined heavy weights Pluto and
Saturn. The seriousness of our lives,
what is at stake, is gargantuan. The BIG
THREE are joined this month by the Sun, our will, and Messenger Mercury: we are laser focused on our goals; or for
those who cannot afford goals, concerned with simply surviving.
It is not an overstatement to say this month lays waste to
everything unnecessary or non-essential in our lives, whether financially, psychologically,
physically, etc. Capricorn is black and
white, or in many cases, black vs. white.
Color wars come to mind.
Definitive and defining, life or death, your team vs. my team: here we are.
Capricorn takes us down to our most basic, rudimentary
elements: what we have and what we
certainly do not have, what works and what does not work. There is no more goofing off now says
businesslike Capricorn. If you’ve been
playing fast and loose with life, ignoring the rules, cosmic laws are here to
clamp down and clean house. No more Mr.
Nice guy. The illusion and pipe dreams
of 2018-19 are shattered.
Leading us into the heart of the matter, Motivating Mars
shifts into truth telling Sagittarius on January 3rd. The Truth shall set you free…as long as you
are willing to face the music. There is
no longer any place to run and surely no place to hide. Increasing light from the waxing Moon now shines
into the darkest corners of lives, what we’d rather keep hidden, closeted away
from others.
A week later, the cosmic switch begins to flip, starry
dominoes triggered one right after another.
Late on the evening of January 9th, Radical Uranus turns
direct motion in earthy Taurus.
Unpredictability is the hallmark of Uranus (the only planet in our
galaxy that rotates vertically instead of horizontally). When it changes gears, anything, and I mean ANYthing is possible: the good, the bad and the curious.
As Uranus turns direct, it loosely aligns with Generous
Jupiter which may be our saving grace as it affords silver linings in otherwise
wildly unexpected circumstances born from its quirky angle to Mars in
Sagittarius. These two do not play
nicely when at odds with each other. An agitator,
Mars in Sagittarius demands the truth no matter what the cost while Radical
Uranus in Taurus breaks apart the status quo.
The question leading into the Full Moon is not can we handle the truth (because
it’s there whether we like it or not); it is how do we best handle the truth in
the bald face of it? In short: where do we go from here?
Uranus direct motion sets the stage for the next two cosmic
tricks. Stand back and behold.
Once every 36-37 years the two heavyweights Pluto and Saturn
come together. Pluto, the god of the
underworld, titan of transformation, and taskmaster Saturn, lord of dharma and
karma combined in any sign is enormously dense and intense. The last time this occurred was November 1982
in Libra. Where were you then and what
were you doing? Libra rules
relationship, art and beauty. The
Pluto-Saturn conjunction of 1982 kick started the party that was the 80s.
37 years later, this is very different scene as the two join
up in reserved Capricorn. We can’t help
but feel the weight of this moment, with fellow titan Jupiter tipping the
scales of immensity. These three make
brutally clear: if you do not have your
house in order, you will be made to get it together, the content, the people, the
day to day operation. And when I say
house: I mean virtually any sector of
your life that is out of whack: your
body, health, finances, home/dwelling, family, work, or connection to
soul/spirit, and more.
Driving the message home on January 10th, the
actual day Pluto and Saturn meet, Messenger Mercury, the Sun and Ceres pile on
top telling us to get real and get on with building your life, or rebuilding in
many cases. Step by step, one foot in
front of the other is Capricorn’s superpower.
It may be serious but it gets the job done as the architect of the zodiac,
the master builder. What are you building
in your life? What goal do you desire? Capricorn’s essence is achievement, plows
through our task and to-do lists. It
stands at base camp, viewing the pinnacle of the mountain, then pragmatically
gathers all essential resources to make the climb: the people and supplies necessary to reach
the top.
“You can do it, yes you can,” says Mother Moon in her home sign
Cancer the Crab. The same day of the
great Pluto-Saturn conjunction, the Moon opposes the Capricorn Sun to create a
full moon lunar eclipse, the 3rd event of this cosmic trilogy.
Eclipses are gateways and thresholds marking significant passages in our lives. The Moon is our only cheerleader during this
rather draconian time. Yes, times may be
severe, you may be surviving the harshest of conditions and working through the
darkest days of your life, but I promise you, says Mother Moon, you can do this, yes you can. You’ve got this and I’ve got you.
In nurturing and compassionate Cancer, the Moon
empathizes: “I know this isn’t easy,
that it is actually impossibly hard, lonely work you are doing. But I promise that your investment of time,
energy and money will pay off.” Kind words and tough love. We are in living in uncertain and uneven
times, many surviving, not thriving.
Like a new colt getting its legs underneath itself for the first time,
we are learning first to stand, then walk.
One day we will gallop. It takes
time, patience and perseverance. All in
very short supply these days.
The convergence of these three cosmic events within 24 hours
is a striking pivot point. A strong
lunar eclipse occurring alongside Uranus’ direct motion and the Pluto-Saturn
conjunction reminds us we have more character and backbone than we ever
imagined. That we each must stand alone
and walk our path by ourselves, to learn for ourselves. We are always
supported in our endeavors. And the
full moon lunar eclipse in Cancer-Capricorn underscores that each of us can do
the actual soul work we came here for.
No one can do it for us and there is no escape from the work at
hand. This tough love lunar eclipse
says: no pain, no gain.
The Moon aligns to dreamy Neptune now, so we feel in the
flow of life, intuitively understanding the next steps to take. A few days later, to soften the blow and provide
a cushion to life, Venus shifts into Pisces on January 14th. A queen in a magnificent home, Venus is
supremely self LESS in Pisces, like Mother Theresa and the Queen of England
combined. For the rest of the month, Venus
jousts with Motivating Mars. In Pisces,
Venus liberally gives away itself and everything else including the kitchen sink
(sharing you too) while Sagittarian Mars says Go Big or Go Home. You may find yourself struggling to say no,
to find the brake pedal to slow down. Fortunately
the three planets in Capricorn, Pluto/Saturn/Jupiter limits our spending and
over-zealous commitments.
January 17th, Mercury shifts into Aquarius where
it is most comfortable, naturally networking, connecting and inventing. Joined three days later by the Sun on the 20th,
we look at life through a humanitarian lens at month’s end. What benefits the group also benefits each
individual and vice versa. Aquarian Sun-Mercury breaks apart old stereotypes,
out dated customs that no longer serve a purpose while connecting us to people,
opportunities and lifestyle that suits our current and future interests.
The New Moon in Aquarius occurs on January 24th
with Mercury at an eye-popping degree.
Watch for strong messages, surprises, plot twists and particularly keen awareness. At the same time, Venus, goddess of love,
money and relationships makes her annual conjunction to big sister Neptune in
Pisces. The pairing lasts through the
final week of January, gently inspiring, flowing around and within us, uniting
us and reflecting that we are one, collective body; even as
individuals from various origins and customs, a common thread of Light runs
through us one and all, belying separateness as merely an illusion.