The Astrology Blog – 5 January 2015
All times stated are in GMT
Happy New Year and welcome to the first blog of 2015, and apologies for posting several hours later than usual. Still getting back up to speed after getting back from London – complete with flu bug (didn’t need astrology to predict that one) but also a stack of wonderful memories, connecting with loved friends and making new ones. So it was definitely worth it – even though we got back to Greece in time for New Year’s Eve (my favourite night of the year, you would normally have to put a gun to my head to make me stay in) only to be confined to the sick bay. But the astrology ran like clockwork, especially the predicted Xmas Eve chaos – in the blog I posted before leaving I wrote:
“(Xmas Eve) Disruption is a major theme and Mercury is very much linked to being on the move as he rules all modes of transport. If you’re traveling on that day allow yourself as much time as possible and plan your journey carefully. Leaving anything to the last minute is a dead cert for chaos or stress! Things out of our control are also likely to play a role, such as bad weather or people going down with the flu…”
Our story – Sue by this time was already laid out with full blown flu and bronchitis, her daughter and son in law were due to join us in London on Xmas Eve but ended up having to leave home in the west country much later than planned and, guess what, had gone only about ten miles when a wheel dropped off the car… this meant having to go home again, with gritted teeth mutterings about Jo’s blog, and start again the next day, but it all came together in the end! I hope your own Christmas and New Year tales all had happy endings.
So, onwards into 2015 dear readers! I may have missed the event of NYE itself but I’ve still got the other bug of New Year-itis which I always enjoy. There is something about looking at brand new blank diary pages (call me old fashioned) that fills me with optimism and wonder. Even though astrology gives us a flavor of what is to come the details are yet to unfold. So it seems a timely moment to remember that astrology is not so much clairvoyance as a celestial road map, a guide for the journeys that lie ahead. As with every map, it works when you know how to read it.
This brings us up against the essential difference between signs and symbols. As Jung says, a sign carries an obvious meaning, such as traffic lights signaling stop or go. You don’t have to question what the red or green light might mean, you know automatically and act immediately upon the message. But a symbol “implies something vague, unknown, or hidden from us.” We have to dig a little deeper in order to discover meaning. Dream interpretation is a clear example of the same phenomenon. We can ponder our dreams, we can listen to other’s ideas of what they might mean, we can even consult books that purport to tell the meaning of dreams, but it’s only when you arrive at the right interpretation that the meaning – and the message swimming up from the teeming riverbed of your unconscious – smacks you unmistakably between the eyes. When the symbolism is placed and understood within the context of your own life the unconscious and the conscious connect with powerful effect. It’s that, “I get it now” light bulb moment. And such moments can be life changing.
Astrology also needs our life context so that we can understand how gazing into this huge celestial mirror can reflect our earthly events. It is the astrologer’s job to hold the “as above, so below” principle and to unpack the symbolism of the planets as they travel through the 12 signs of the zodiac and make aspects (alignments) with each other. Astrology works at this universal level – as readers of this blog are always telling me, keep on with the feedback, I love it – but packs an even bigger punch when you see it at work in your own horoscope. For now, the point to make as we sail into this New Year is that tracking the planets maps out the A roads. Looking at your own horoscope is the way to find the B roads, and all those little windy lanes that lead us in interesting directions.
So, what’s happening this week? At first glance, the answer is “not a lot”. There are three astrological events that are all crammed into today and then everything goes rather suspiciously quiet. However, a second glance tells us more as the three events themselves are all weighty ones and will set the tone for many weeks to come.
We start with Mercury’s change of sign as he has now left the watery realms of Pisces and entered the crisp air sign of Aquarius in the early hours of this morning –
Monday Mercury ingress Aquarius (01.09)
Modern day astrology assigns Aquarius as Mercury’s sign of “exaltation” – ie his best possible placing. Traditional astrology gives Virgo and, as regular readers will know, I am a staunch traditionalist, but nevertheless I like this combination. Mercury, planet of the mind, is generally happy in the air signs, element of the thinking function, and Aquarius in particular is associated with brilliance, originality and breaking the mould. This feels like the proverbial breath of fresh air and the seeds of change sown now are destined to germinate and blossom in ways that we can only begin to imagine.
This is because Mercury is going to be in Aquarius for an unusually long time. When this planet is at full speed he can whizz through a sign in two to three weeks but he’s now increasingly slow moving, getting ready to turn retrograde on 21 January. He’ll then be retrograde (appearing to move backwards) for the usual three weeks, turning direct again 11 February and finally moving onto into Pisces 13 March. So instead of the usual few weeks we have Mercury traveling backwards and forwards through the same sign for over two months.
What might this signify? Firstly it suggests that there’s a lot of thinking to be done. If you have changes to make, or if you have a huge workload to tackle, then the next couple of weeks are crucial. Pay very close attention to your ideas and thoughts, or to the person you find stimulating or unusual. This is just the beginning of a chapter that could prove how that special something or someone can make a vital difference. Whatever your New Year’s resolutions might be, including one that might take shape only this week, don’t let it slip through your fingers. Get systematic – Aquarius loves lists – and work out the pros and cons. You might find that you’ll go back to these at a later date and wonder why you thought it was all so simple lol, so note that many things will yet be up for revision, but that’s no reason to drag your feet.
Mercury in Aquarius is also fantastic for technology. At a social or business level now’s the time to get networking, to spruce up your website, find ways to make it work more effectively for you, along with social media of all kinds. Groups figure largely with Aquarius too so hook up with like-minded people and share your ideas. This isn’t just about meeting others on line – find events that are local to you as these will bring you into contact with those who could become firm friends or who may well be inspirational.
Mercury’s long windy journey ahead suggests that the biggest pitfall over the next couple of months is possibly the risk of over-thinking a matter. The fear of failure – or success! – is one that’s well worth examining if you suspect that you might be self sabotaging. Start by remembering that it’s okay to make mistakes, whether you’re regretting one or fearing making one. In fact, it’s more than okay, it’s how we all learn after all. With the love planet Venus also having just entered Aquarius (3 January) this applies to your emotional life too, so stay plugged in to how you actually feel and not to just what makes sense. In other words, be aware of how you may be over rationalizing, or how you may be stuck in some abstract world view that bears no reality to the life you would wish for yourself. Ask yourself lots of questions. The sign of Aquarius is nothing if not curious. The answers might surprise you.
Mercury’s change of sign will be especially significant for you if you have planets in the early degrees of Aquarius or in the opposite sign of Leo. (Quick back to basics, 30 degrees in each sign, so if you have planets at between 0 – 5 degrees of Aquarius these count as the early degrees. Mercury will turn retrograde at 17 degrees of Aquarius so again if you have planets on or close to this degree or in the opposite sign of Leo that turning point is one to clock. But more on that over the next couple of weeks as the moment draws closer.)
Remember that if you don’t know the sign and position of your natal planets you can find them here in a matter of seconds – just tap in your date, place and time of birth –
http://www.alwaysastrology.com/birth-chart-calculator.html
by hovering your mouse over the glyph for each planet you’ll be able to see which planet it is, what sign it is in and what degree of that sign it holds.
Back to the other two events today –
Monday Full Moon at 14 degrees of Cancer (04.54)
Full Moons illuminate and sensitize so, again, if you have planets at or close to 14 degrees of Cancer or in the opposite sign of Capricorn this Full Moon will be especially important for you. Whatever, or whoever, those planets represent in your life will have their moment in the full beam of the Full Moon’s searching spotlight. This can be revelatory or uncomfortable – or both. As ever, Full Moons also spell “lunacy” and are notorious for domestics. This doesn’t necessarily mean of the screaming and shouting kind. The water sign of Cancer is introspective so, wherever feelings are running high, there is more likely to be a withdrawing into the shell, a noticeable moody or broody feel, a sense that someone is not being open or is avoiding intimacy. And/or look out for family or property situations reaching a milestone. If you’re buying or selling this Full Moon is great for completion, finding the right buyer/seller, or finding the property that has your name written all over it.
The third and final event of the day features Mercury again –
Monday Mercury sextile (harmonious) Saturn (22.22)
Mercury in good aspect to Saturn augurs well for firm decisions, agreements, putting things down in black and white, establishing your goal posts and mapping out work that is governed by deadlines. Just be careful not to bite off more than you can chew! As Mercury will be turning retrograde in a couple of weeks time this aspect to Saturn is not a one-off. Mercury will come back and repeat this aspect on 5 February (the week before turning direct again) and then again for the third and final time on 19 February.
Mercury – Saturn aspects are normally conclusive but, because of the backwards and forwards movement to come, there will be some element at work that will make you realise at a later date that something was not as cut and dried as it seemed. Or, you may already realise that a situation is not going to be as easy as you would wish, and the February dates are ones to circle for an ongoing debate, project, plan etc when you’ll be looking at matters in the light of new information or having to rework things in a way that you couldn’t have anticipated earlier. Saturn is Lord of Time itself – and he’s also a “malefic” – so be prepared for “bad timing”, don’t over commit yourself, or accept that a heartfelt wish is one that cannot be instantly gratified. However, whatever your main concern may be at the moment, the bigger picture suggests that it will be worth the effort and the wait. It’s a good time to remember that success usually comes after hard work and not the other way around!
To finish, one other minor event that will be visible in the sky is the monthly Moon – Jupiter conjunction. This one falls within three days of the Moon being full so – pray for clear skies – and look upwards on Wednesday night. The conjunction at 21 degrees of Leo is exact in the early hours of Thursday (05.08) and you’ll see Jupiter blazing away next to the moon. That’s the time to make your New Year’s wish as Jupiter the “Greater Benefic”, Lord of opportunity, good fortune and all things good for us. Wishing you a happy, healthy and productive start to the New Year,
With love from Greece
Joanna x
