The Astrology Blog 11 January 2021
All times in GMT
“Resilience is not what happens to you. It’s how you react to, respond to, and recover from what happens to you.”
“If you have a goal and you don’t intend to achieve it on a specific day, it’s not going to happen.”
Jeffrey Gitomer – 11 February 1946 – American author, speaker and business trainer, on sales, customer loyalty and personal development
CRITICAL DEGREES – TRANSITION
If you’ve been following the blog in recent weeks you’ll remember that I’ve been talking about critical degrees, 29 degrees (the last degree of a sign) and 0 degrees (the beginning of the next sign), especially when the slow moving Jupiter and Saturn both changed sign at the same time about three weeks ago. “Critical” in this sense translates into super sensitive, tipping points of change, the end of an era and the beginning of major new cycles.
If you’re a serious student or follower of astrology it’s vital to follow the news at least on these key dates. It’s also very important to remember that astrology is not causal. Last Wednesday’s storming of Congress was unmistakably Mars – the god of war. This doesn’t mean that Mars made this happen, but rather that Mars is showing what did happen. As above, so below. At first I thought it was the ingress of Mars into Taurus, a combination often linked to thuggery and more on that later, but Mars didn’t change sign until much later in the day.
The whole episode exploded with militant Mars at 29 degrees of hotheaded Aries, a point that has been a long time coming as Mars was in a retrograde loop last autumn and ended up spending 6 months in this sign instead of the usual two. The event of a critical degree on this occasion clearly showed as a very real and horrifying crisis and the whole world, but especially Americans, were shocked and disgusted by the unbelievable scenes, postponing for several hours the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.
It led to five deaths, sackings and resignations, including the official responsible for security in the House of Representatives, the chief of staff to First Lady Melania Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the second cabinet member to quit following the riot and one of the longest serving members of the president’s administration. In her resignation letter her position and understanding are clear –
“There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me.”
In other words the buildup to the event was undeniable and the real point is that this didn’t explode from nowhere. More than 60 legal cases by Trump’s campaign team challenging the November result have failed and the unrest has been brewing, with Trump himself fanning the flames at every opportunity –
“…the signs were there for weeks. A hodgepodge of extreme and conspiratorial groups were convinced that the election was stolen. Online, they repeatedly talked about arming themselves, and violence.
For Joe Biden’s inauguration on 20 January, Mr Chertoff is expecting a “much stronger showing” by security services than last Wednesday night. But that hasn’t stopped many on extreme platforms calling for further violence and disruption on the day.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55592332
MARS IN TAURUS
Mars entered Taurus last Wednesday at 22.28 GMT (17.28 in Washington) which coincided with the end of the riots as it was reported that “by 17.40” the building had been cleared of rioters and was announced secure.
At 03:41 on Thursday, having returned to finish the business in hand, Congress confirmed President-elect Joe Biden will succeed President Trump on 20 January. The chart for this confirmation has a Scorpio Ascendant and is therefore ruled by Mars in Taurus. On the inauguration date itself we will have Mars conjunct Uranus. I wouldn’t like to be in charge of security but at least this disaster will surely be a huge wakeup call with regards to how easily security was breached, and it will all be happening under the strictest of lockdowns.
In the meantime we have to contend with Mars in Taurus between now and 4 March. This is one of Mars’ signs of detriment, which signals a mismatch between planet and sign. This one makes sense when you think about the fact that Mars is all about action and Taurus the Bull is the sign of Fixed Earth. Mars likes to forge ahead, Taurus likes familiarity and staying put. As a natal placing, from Be Your Own Astrologer –
Taurus is slow and sensual, comfortably at home with Venus, but can punch and bellow when expressed through Mars. Actors who embody this Mars in their work include Robert de Niro (the boxer in Raging Bull) and Bruce Willis (the indestructible hero of Die Hard). Alternatively, the Mars/Taurus combination is inertia, the couch potato or the nature that is peaceable until provoked. Physically this Mars has the constitution of an ox but is something of a plodder and hates to be rushed. Results are won through soldiering on, stubborn perseverance, or the “I’ll prove you wrong” kind of determination.
This placing is often associated with brutality and bully boys. It’s the stuff of hard knocks and can signify early experiences of abuse, especially in a woman’s chart. Charlize Theron was 15 when her father was shot by her mother. The shooting was ruled as self defense, the end result of years of drunken assaults on both his wife and daughter.
This earthy masculine streak to Charlize rings out loud and clear in her own words, “I’m 50-50 on glamour stuff. I’d rather put on a pair of jeans and get on my Harley and act like a guy”, and manifests in tough roles, such as Monster for which she won her first Academy Award.
In a nutshell: deliberate, blunt, enduring
Overall then this rather spells out not getting anywhere in a hurry over the next couple of months but we can still think about the nature of this Mars/sign combination and how to harness it. Just because a planet is in detriment doesn’t mean that it’s all bad news. My colleague Lynne Ewart flagged this up on Facebook the other day with the info that her husband has this Mars. And I’ve seen photos of some of his amazing sculpture work – Mars is the knife, everything from the hacksaw to the scalpel to woodwork tools.
In my own horoscope I have this Mars placing, and I’m also Scorpio rising so Mars is my ruling planet, and I can definitely vouch for the persistence bit. One of my mottos is “never give up”. Of course my twin Sue also had this Mars and one of her sayings was, “one thing at a time.” She absolutely hated being rushed or pushed. I hear those words whenever I get into overwhelm and try to stay on task.
Over the years I’ve been asked countless times how I manage to work by myself, on my own and from home. My top answer was/is always – I remind myself of the alternative, which would be having to go out to work, for someone else and to be answerable! Sagittarians thrive on freedom. These days am always being asked how I manage to write an extensive blog every week without fail. Top answer is, I love my work and my blog! I look forward to writing it.
And now of course what I’ve been doing for thirty years has become the norm for thousands. But here are some of the Jo Watters guidelines to being self employed that have naturally evolved over the years, so which were all in place pre pandemic, and which may help you, some of which are my Sag nature but many of which I locate in my Taurus Mars that thrives on routine and has figured out how to get things done –
- I do my most important work first thing in the morning – these days that is my prime work time (it used to be evenings in my younger years!). I make a cup of tea and go straight to my desk, without fail
- Identify what is your best time of day and use it to do the most important things, and especially the things that require your intense concentration
- I make lists – and prioritise. The goal is to get the top things done, not everything done
- If I find myself slowing down, losing concentration or getting bored I change task
- If I’m writing and it’s just not flowing I stop and change element! Intellectual work is air so I switch to earth and do something physical, like some cleaning, cooking or gardening
- If the end of a task is in sight I push on, even if I’m tired. I remind myself how great I’m going to feel when I’ve finished something
- I don’t snack – I eat only at mealtimes. You’ll never find biscuits, sweets, cake, crisps etc in my house for that reason, I wouldn’t be able to resist them
- I leave the house at least once every day, including walking the dogs even if it’s for only half an hour, unless it’s torrential rain in which case I don’t bother!
- Emails that require long answers are always left to the evening – not daytime. I encourage everyone to use Whatsapp for messaging me for quick questions and answers and have this open on my desktop as well as my phone
- I minimize distractions – eg friends know that I work from home and are trained not to drop by! They can’t now anyway cos of lockdown, but this is one of the reasons why lockdown is not so hard for me, home was already my work place
- All work material is in my study – not all over the house. If I use the dining room table for spreading stuff out it’s cleared away again as soon as I’ve finished
- I have at least one fixed appointment every day, whether it’s a student tutorial, a client or meeting a friend to walk dogs. It’s amazing how you speed up when you’ve got an eye on the clock
- I always finish the day by ticking off what I’ve achieved rather than dwelling on what I haven’t
- I go to bed at the same time every night which for me is around midnight
- I would love to say that I get up at the same time every morning but sleep is a huge variable. I’ve learned that if I wake up in the early hours then not to lie there tossing and turning and thinking about things that happened five years ago. I get up and eat something, go back to bed and read, turn off the alarm, fall asleep again and wake up when I wake up
- Take the pressure off yourself when you are tired, anxious, fed up – the world won’t stop turning if you don’t always start your day bang on time
Blimey, having written all of that it makes me sound like some kind of super disciplined robot! I remember when my niece stayed with me for a few days a couple of years ago, she said, I don’t think you realize how organized you are! I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I schedule everything for definite days as stated in Jeffrey Gitomer’s quote above – and l like quoting the experts because they should know, ie that’s not just an opinion it’s a statement that he can substantiate through professional experience – but if there’s a very definite and important goal I will clear the space for it. But I think the bottom line is finding what works for you and when you do that it’s pretty easy to stick to it because it mostly doesn’t feel like work or effort, especially when you love what you do. There are times when I complain about always being too busy but it’s a good problem to have!
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK?
Mercury winged Messenger hogged the limelight last week and does so again as this week kicks off –
Monday 11 January
- Mercury conjunct Jupiter 5 Aquarius 17.21
Tuesday 12 January
- Mercury 6 Aquarius square Uranus 6 Taurus 15.01
These aspects are important because Mercury is playing into the Jupiter – Uranus square that is going to be exact at the end of the week. Pay close attention then to how the week starts for you as there may be news or conversations that are paving the way to a bigger event.
Individually and simplistically the Mercury – Jupiter combination is good news whereas the Mercury – Uranus square is a spoke in the wheel, such as information of the unexpected, surprising or upsetting kind. Put them together and you have a contradiction but, as I was saying when Jupiter caught up with Saturn before Christmas, it showed in terms of Jupiter events coming with price tags. For example, events unfolding now may show as a new opportunity requiring radical changes, or something being good for one person but bad for another.
Midweek definitely has a flavor of inevitability with the first New Moon of the year in goal orientated Capricorn falling almost exactly conjunct Pluto, and swiftly followed by that tough Mars squaring up to Saturn –
Wednesday 13 January
- New Moon 23 Capricorn (conjunct Pluto 24 Capricorn) 05.01
- Moon conjunct Pluto 24 Capricorn 07.23
- Mars 3 Taurus square Saturn 3 Aquarius 11.03
Thursday 14 January
- Venus 6 Capricorn trine Uranus 6 Taurus 00.23
- Uranus turns direct 6.43 Taurus 08.37
- Sun conjunct Pluto 24 Capricorn 14.17
New Moons are the moment in each month when the Moon is exactly conjunct the Sun. In themselves they carry the symbolism of sowing seeds and new cycles, but they can tell a bigger picture story if they fall in aspect to other planets. See the end of this blog for the table of all lunations for the rest of this year. In this case we have the Moon and Sun both conjunct Pluto –
Pluto – main principle is endings/beginnings, often starting with significant loss, death of the old and the birth of the new, darkness, obsessions, addictions, starting from scratch, those who are physically or emotionally absent, transformative processes, deep healing, resourcefulness, secrets, taboos, empowerment, control, power, abuse of control/power, uncompromising, finality, wealth of the individual (plutocracy or plutarchy being a society ruled or controlled by people of great wealth or income)
In terms of what’s hot off the press I would say that this is the stuff of impeachment proceedings on the charges of “incitement of insurrection” (back to the Mars moment). Mars square Saturn says enough is enough, slam on the brakes and invoke authority. More and more comments are appearing about Trump’s dangerous behavior and delusional state. Let’s hope that this is finally the moment when the US powers that be finally acknowledge that Trump is mentally ill. Note that the next Full Moon will be end of the month at 9 Leo, conjunct Trump’s natal Pluto of 10 Leo.
This is also the stuff of increasingly harsh lockdown measures. In the news right now is a statement from Prof Chris Whitty that this is the most dangerous time of the pandemic in the UK and the astrology supports that view:
“This is everybody’s problem. Any single unnecessary contact you have with someone is a potential link in a chain of transmission that will lead to a vulnerable person … anybody who is not shocked by the number of people in hospital has not understood this at all”.
URANUS TURNS DIRECT
In the middle of the midweek picture you can see that Venus, also now travelling through Capricorn, aligns with Uranus who is turning direct. This is a big moment as Uranus has been retrograde since 15 August and, as this planet rules humanity and the collective, it’s easy to see how this has corresponded with worldwide restrictions. This turning point for Uranus, who also rules technology and with benefic Venus underlining the moment, I would say bodes well for the international vaccine project. Uranus of course now has to pick up speed in the right direction and that is why this astrology supports the message of this being the heart of the pandemic.
The Venus – Uranus combination at a personal level I would say is also good news for positive changes with anything connected to love, work and moneymaking, such as new jobs or ideas that can be developed at home, or a relationship getting serious (Capricorn) and maybe after a long wait. Another interesting piece of astrological craft is that we currently have what’s called a Mixed Reception –
- A Mutual Reception is when we have two planets in each other’s signs (eg Mars in Taurus, Venus in Aries – so Mars in one of Venus’s signs and Venus in one of Mars’ signs)
- A Mixed Reception is when we have one planet in the other’s sign and one planet in the other planet’s sign of exaltation – as we have now, Mars in Taurus, Venus’s sign, and Venus in Capricorn, which is Mars’s sign of exaltation
In real terms this indicates an exchange, a swapping over, teamwork, a way of reorganizing things in a mutually beneficial way. So anything that smacks of this symbolism is something to seize on.
JUPITER SQUARE URANUS
The week finishes with the most important aspect of the month –
Sunday 17 January
- Jupiter 6 Aquarius square Uranus 6 Taurus 22.49
This is a major aspect that occurs every 6 to 7 years. The last one repeated three times in 2013-4 and the next one will be 10 September 2027, a one off. This square is also a one off. It’s an interesting combination as Jupiter, the Greater Benefic, is now in Uranus’ sign and Uranus himself, as stated, is now “stationary direct” so it’s packing a real punch. Worst case scenario is things out of control –
In mythology Uranus is the sky god and he rules all that comes “out of the blue”. He challenges all that Saturn stands for, such as boundaries, hierarchy and traditional rules, and his nature is revolutionary, innovative, explosive, sudden, unexpected, erratic or unpredictable. There’s always an X Factor. From a natal point of view typical Uranian types are primarily different. Brilliant, quirky, nervy, eccentric, unstable, a wild child or a genius, a scientist or social misfit, they are always unusual, unconventional or original in some way.
In terms of staying safe this is not the time to break lockdown laws. But other “takes” on this square include things happening for our own good (Jupiter the Greater Benefic), changes being sprung on us and having to rethink for now any kind of plans that relate to Jupiter subjects – eg long distance travel, education, so this definitely fits with schools staying closed and the ensuing disruption for families.
However also look out for another classic Jupiter hallmark which is his love of working in disguise, bringing events that may seem unwelcome at first but which in fact turn out to be the proverbial clouds with silver linings. Jupiter loves to sow seeds, without anyone noticing. This planet is the Opportunity Maker but also the Liberator. Collectively (Uranus) we need to be freed from this pandemic, and if we curtail our freedom now we’ll be buying opportunities for the not so distant future.
Individually, and especially if you have natal planets or Angles at or close to 6 degrees of the Fixed Signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), there will be some scenario of “the old order changeth”. Take change in your stride, expect the unexpected, let others do what is right for them even if you think they’re nuts, be on hand to help those whose lives suddenly change shape, be aware of the thing that you can’t stand for another minute but avoid anything that smacks of reckless risk taking. Look at all options and think about safety nets. You wouldn’t jump out of a plane without a parachute.
Next week it’s Mars’ turn to play into the Jupiter – Uranus square alongside the Sun moving into Aquarius and catching up with Saturn and I’ll be talking about these events next time,
Until then, with love from Greece
Joanna
LUNATIONS FOR 2021
NEW MOON | FULL MOON | ||
Jan 13 | 23 Capricorn conjunct Pluto | Jan 28 | 9 Leo opposite Jupiter |
Feb 11 | 23 Aquarius | Feb 27 | 9 Virgo |
Mar 13 | 23 Pisces conjunct Venus, Neptune | Mar 28 | 8 Libra opp Venus, Chiron |
Apr 12 | 22 Aries conj Venus, square Pluto | Apr 27 | 7 Scorpio opp Uranus |
May 11 | 21 Taurus | May 26 | 5 Sagittarius/Lunar Eclipse |
June 10 | 20 Gemini/Solar Eclipse conj retrograde Mercury | June 24 | 3 Capricorn |
July 10 | 18 Cancer | July 24 | 1 Aquarius |
Aug 8 | 16 Leo | Aug 22 | 29 Aquarius conj Jupiter |
Sept 7 | 14 Virgo trine Uranus | Sept 20 | 28 Pisces |
Oct 6 | 13 Libra conjunct Mars, opp Chiron | Oct 20 | 27 Aries opp Mars |
Nov 4 | 12 Scorpio opp Uranus | Nov 19 | 27 Taurus/Lunar Eclipse |
Dec 4 | 12 Sagittarius/Solar Eclipse conj Mercury | Dec 19 | 27 Gemini |