‘To enjoy the rainbow first enjoy the rain.’ Paul Coelho
From 25 December to 23 January no planets are retrograde and it will be all systems go: much that has been hidden will come to light and with focus we will be able to achieve much – if we’re willing to let go of the ghosts of the past. To hold on is to live in the past: when you are living in the past, you are just living a fantasy that you made up to validate old beliefs. This month is once again break through, break up and break down time!
For most of January the Sun, indicating where our focus needs to lie, joins Pluto (
), The Cosmic Bulldozer, in Capricorn (
). The Sea Goat symbolises worldly power – worldly power not in terms of glory but in terms of integrity. In the sign’s highest expression, there is no pretence – what you see is what you get. Without mercy, Pluto will rip open the doors into the underworld and create circumstances in which you are compelled to show and tell who you truly are. With illusions shattering and new content coming to light, the form, the structures which spelled safety, is making way for completely new ways of relating to our physical world.
The slower a planet moves, the more cosmic effect it has. Mars (
), God of Wilfulness, that usually spends two-and-half months in a sign, prepares to go retrograde (seemingly reversing against the background of the stars) on 24 January and grinds to a halt over 21°, 22° and 23° Virgo (
).
The Red Warrior only turns direct on 13 April at 3° 41’ Virgo. This means that Mars traverses 3°-23° Virgo three times - meaning a major emphasis.
A few days before and even after Mars turns, tempers flare more easily and frustration surfaces without warning. A good way of dealing with upstream Mars energy is to tackle those tasks you have been putting off: clear out your bottom drawers, do the filing, write your will, is your house insurance up to date, and so on. Have a look-see where Virgo is in your chart to gain insight into which matters deserve your attention.
Premium Membership
To enjoy the very best of Celestial Notebook then become a Premium Member.
For just a small monthly fee of £2.99 you get:
- • Access to the great daily astrological forecast at this site, and
- • ...when signing up you can opt to have the daily forecast emailed to you each day, plus
- • ...you get even bigger discounts on Celestial Notebook products and services
Become a Premium Member today.
If you'd like to see how the sign-up process works then click here to watch a short video.
Mars is the first planet outside the orbit of the earth and therefore Mars represents our outward movement towards life and the external world. In Virgo, Mars urges you resolve any left-over self-esteem issues and to be discerning about where you offer your services – the untrue helper has no place in our brave, new world. Another challenge will be to decide what is essential and to take positive action to improve matters rather than to criticise and complain. ‘This is an excellent time to delve into our fears and underlying motivations to learn non-violent communication and to deal with health issues and environmental clean ups.’ Stephanie Austin
Apply your belief system to your daily life: ‘Face what you think you believe and you will be surprised.’ William Hale White
Worth mentioning is that in May this year Venus (
), Goddess of Love and Money, turns retrograde at 23° Gemini (
) – exactly square the Mars retrograde degree. This means that particularly people born during middle September, middle June, middle March and middle December will be renegotiating and reviewing many aspects of their lives.
Jupiter (
), The King of the Gods, turned direct on Christmas Day at 0° Taurus and will only pick up speed in February so that he will be having undue influence during January – not that we mind though - as Jupiter’s influence is believed to be very positive and expansive. My experience has been that when we have been stuck, Jupiter pries as loose and kicks us ahead with as much disdain as does Pluto or Uranus! Jupiter is the archetype of faith and meaning and in Taurus, the most earthy sign of all, we will be challenged to balance expansion with conservation, optimism with pragmatism, vision with effort.
It is back to basics: what is worth having? What values shape your life? Do your feelings of security reside solely in what you own? Or do you know that everything is as it must be and that we’re all connected at a very deep level to the earth and each other? Faith in a Higher Power or an intelligence that underlies all is also important so that you can relax and let the Universe take over once you have done your bit.
As far as 2012 and all the prophecies are concerned I am of the opinion that during this year (and the next few years) we will be experiencing one after the other consciousness-changing events – as we have been since 9/11/2001. The pace of change is most certainly accelerating and it won’t be easy to keep up but if each of us does our homework - are aware, are attentive, listen to our heart, help others or bless them where indicated - all will be well in our new world.
Want to see past months? Visit our Monthly Overview Archive.
