Skywatch - January 2006

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JANUARY 2006

First - the New Moon this month in Capricorn is December 30 at 10:11 PM EST. New Moons occur when the lunar principle of emotional mind fuses with the solar principle of conscious mind (the sun conjunct the moon). New moons are times of beginnings, of clearings of old baggage and making a new start. How appropriate that this New Moon occurs just before the New Year, and in Capricorn, the sign of discipline and focus. This is the perfect time to create intention for the new year, to go beyond setting mere resolutions, but hone your focus and intent to create that which you desire in your life. This New Moon makes a trine to Mars, making the physical energy available to make it happen. Mars is square Saturn, so there is some blockage of the energy, but consistent focus will help to break through any blocks you encounter so that you can begin to manifest effectively.

Also in play during this New Moon is a conjunction of Mercury with Pluto in Sagittarius. Mercury represents mental function and Pluto is power and regeneration. Mercury/Pluto periods can help sharpen our focus even more, like a laser with precision and intensity. In Sagittarius Mercury is optimistic and buoyant, and offers the confidence required to believe that all things are possible.

On January 1, Venus retrogrades (appears to move backward) into Capricorn after a brief sojourn into Aquarius. During Venus retrograde periods we are likely to find ourselves reviewing our relationships with others and possibly revisiting friendships and partnerships that we thought were extinct. It's a time for cleaning up before moving forward again, and in Capricorn there is a disciplined approach to evaluating and processing these relationships with others. It may also be a good time to go back and finish an artistic project that has been languishing uncompleted. Venus will remain in retrograde motion until February 3.

Mercury transitions from Sagittarius to Capricorn on January 3 and the focus becomes more serious. Capricorn is a magician in the mundane world, focused on the alchemy of manifestation and accomplishing the highest goals. Mercury's travel into Capricorn will help to maintain the focus of the New Moon and make it easier to keep the resolve established then.

The tension of the Grand Cross of December is moving away, but several of the planets involved are still caught in the dance. Mars (aggression, warfare) is moving away from a square to Saturn (discipline, leadership) and into an opposition with Jupiter (philosophy, overconfidence). (for more information on this powerful configuration you may want to read some of these articles). Difficult Mars/Jupiter aspects tend to create an atmosphere of arrogance and self-righteousness as Jupiter's confidence creates a tension with the aggressive Mars energies. Watch for more bombastic talk from people in the news, and in our personal lives we may find ourselves drawn into arguments over philosophy and religion as Mars approaches the exact opposition with Jupiter on January 14th. Misty Neptune gets drawn into this game as well and begins to confuse the issues. Neptune encourages self-sacrifice and martyrdom, and this could be a time where suicide attacks increase as the urge for martyrdom collides with religious arrogance, culminating on January 16 when Mars squares Neptune exactly and Jupiter is within one degree.

In the middle of this falls the Full Moon in Cancer on January 14 at 4:47 am EST, personalizing the tension of the Mars/Neptune/Jupiter configuration. With the Moon in nurturing Cancer opposing the Capricorn Sun, there may be some tension between home life (Cancer) and career motivations (Capricorn). Cancer longs to stay close to home, and Capricorn works hard for public recognition. This Full Moon makes no aspect to the other planets, showing that it will have a powerful effect this month, unhampered by other influences. Because Cancer is ruled by the Moon itself, this is likely to be a time of emotional flux, moodiness, and challenging dynamics in the home. Taking extra care to nourish and nurture family members during this time will help to bring out the best of this time.

The Sun enters Aquarius on January 20 followed by Mercury on January 22, beginning the transition into a strong Aquarian period of depersonalization and rational awareness. Mercury in Aquarius is ultra-rational, unfettered by emotional messiness. Aquarius is idealistic, a visionary, and opens up doors of perception into hitherto unseen realms. Suddenly new possibilities arise and new solutions make themselves known.

This Aquarian period culminates with the New Moon on January 29 at 9:15 am EST. The Sun and Moon will be conjunct in Aquarius, as part of a powerful stellium of five planets in Aquarius within 13 degrees including also Chiron, Mercury and Neptune. Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius, is known as the "higher octave" of Mercury because it opens us up to a higher level of knowledge and understanding with briliant flashes of insight. For this reason Aquarius is associated with invention and technological breakthroughs, as well as the more psychological traits of eccentricity and uniqueness. With such a strong Aquarian influence we may find ourselves opening to fields of knowledge yet not understand where this knowledge is coming from. We may find our nervous system accelerating to a point where it becomes uncomfortable for some of us, particularly if we are more grounded and cautious by nature. The New Moon will be opposed by Saturn, which will help to anchor some of this energy and ground it into the practical realm, but if you find yourself experiencing discomfort during this powerful time you may want to engage in grounding activities such as physical exercise and walks in nature.

January is sure to be a powerful time for evolution and creation! As always, if you have any questions about this information please email me at lynn@astrodynamics.net.

January 2006 - Happy New Year!!{Month}