This is a power-packed week, astrologically. We have two planets changing direction (Saturn turns retrograde on the 13th and is stationary now as it prepares to reverse course, and Mercury will turn direct on the 15th. When planets appear to change direction from our vantage point (of course they don’t actually change direction but they appear to from earth) their influence intensifies.
Saturn and Pluto are beginning to converge into position for their big faceoff (part II) on January 31st, and that in itself is an intense cycle that requires us to look at the hard things (Saturn) so that they can be eliminated as part of Pluto’s transformation.
Saturn turns retrograde on the 13th, and depending on the nature of your own chart you may notice a dark heaviness that seems to descend. On the other hand, you may find that the Saturn experience helps you to focus on clarifying your goals. In any case, over the next few months there will be a need to pay Saturn the tribute that he requires: honoring our responsibilities, applying discipline to our projects, avoiding pie-in-the-sky schemes and fantasies. However, on the day Saturn turns retrograde both Venus and the Sun form a harmonious sextile to Uranus, stimulating new ideas and thought patterns that urge us to deviate from that which is expected. This can be a very productive combination since the Uranian influence inspires us to change, and Saturn provides the focus and discipline to make it happen.
The New Moon on January 15th is in Capricorn, continuing the theme of diligence and discipline. This New Moon is an “annular” solar eclipse (not a total eclipse), but nevertheless it’s influence will be long-lasting because it is the longest in duration of any solar eclipse since 1992. It will be most visible in Africa and eastern Asia but it will have a strong influence on the rest of us as well.
Eclipses do not affect everyone the same way, and not everyone will be affected by every eclipse. But they tend to have the effect of unmasking or revealing something which has been hidden, and at the New Moon there is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and begin something completely new.
Mercury turns direct the day of the eclipse, signaling that it’s time to give birth in form to the ideas that have been circulating during the retrograde period. Mars is still retrograde so the actual motion forward may still be slow or difficult, but the mental process flows more easily now.
An eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon conjunct the lunar nodes, the points at which the Moon crosses the ecliptic of the Sun’s path. Because the nodes of the moon represent the evolutionary direction of the individual, there is often a sense of destiny in an eclipse. The New Moon here incorporates a tight conjunction to Venus, the ruler of love and beauty but also of values and possessions. The triad of the Sun, Moon and Venus, along with the nodes, forms a harmonious sextile to Uranus, planet of innovation and revolutionary new ideas. There is a sparkling energy here for new beginnings but there must be that Capricornian structure from which to begin.
We also have a conjunction of Pluto to Mercury embedded in the chart for the eclipse, suggesting the need to let go of thoughts or beliefs (Mercury) that no longer serve your mission. The process of letting go of these beliefs may be intensified or painful under Pluto’s guidance, but ultimately will serve you in the ongoing flow of your life.
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