Astrology Forecast for Creatives | A New Year and intense January kicks off with a bang - fired up, passions return, report card time, seeing what's real, words that hurt, words that heal, walking our talk, relationships require adjustment, the first eclipse of the year gives us a glimpse of the big 2019/2020 Capricorn energies, buckle up buttercup

The Warrior by Cala-Rossini


This week is HUGE! 

MONDAY  - Mars into Aries
WEDNESDAY - Sun conjunct Saturn
THURSDAY - Mercury square Chiron
FRIDAY - Mercury into Capricorn
SATURDAY - New Moon Solar Eclipse in CAPRICORN (15 degrees)
SUNDAY - Uranus stations direct (all systems GO)

I'll do some dailies where we talk about the Moons and the day-to-day stuff. January's astrology is intense. We have had more than one week lately where Friday's energies were a replay of the entire week, ie Friday morning was like Monday, Friday afternoon like Tuesday, etc.

This is kind of like January and the rest of 2019. This month is kind of a preview.

Like last year we start the year full steam ahead. You will want to get the new stuff started by March (on January 6th all the planets will be full steam ahead and we don't get that often).

I was going to get a 2019 post up this weekend, but Mars came along and punched me in the nose with a sinus infection/head cold thing.

The big story of 2019 is the drum beat/movement of Saturn toward Pluto in Capricorn - exact in January 2020. Five eclipses. The North Node in Cancer (where we are headed) - going home, being vulnerable, nurturing what matters, turning within. The South Node will be in Capricorn (and this is extremely important because we are going to have a big old stellium here in early 2020 and this is going to clobber us over the head if we don't do our 2019 work while that South Node is in Capricorn) - this is what we are releasing - fears, dead stuff we are clinging to, crumbling structure, limits, rules, authority, walls.

The two major planetary aspects that are repeated in 2019 will be Saturn sextile (opportunity) Neptune - this one is about making our dreams come true through hard work, getting a grip on addiction/escapism, making something lasting with our art (and other things, of course). The other is Jupiter square (challenge) Neptune - this one is about big promises that have no legs. We are going to have to be ready to cut our losses in 2019 quickly. You might already be thinking how will I know which dream to work hard on and which dream is made of hot air? Well, that is the process of the year. If this was easy, there would be no point in any of it. And yes, I know, I want it to be easy, too! I'm tired. And I'm out of the soft tissues with the soothing lotion and have moved on to the scratchy bathroom stuff. Winter isn't coming anymore. Winter is here. Hard work is the new black. But you already knew this and you already do this (trust me on that second part dear reader)!

There is nothing to fear here, but fear itself. It's just a long, winding road to figure that out!

Neither Mars nor Venus go retrograde in 2019 - this is good news. We have Saturn, Jupiter and Neptune - all strong and functioning the way they are made to function, in their home signs this year - that is good news, too. Time is on our side. Luck is on our side. This year is going to be intense - and so will the next few years folks, it's what we came here for! We are changing paradigms that are thousands of years old. It's time.

Back to this week -

On MONDAY night, Mars will finally drag his tired ass out of tired Pisces, taking that square to Chiron out-of-sign (thank you Universe!) and charging into his home sign of Aries. This is going to feel energizing. But could be so fast that it feels too energizing. We, and other people, might take this sudden burst of Martian energy too far, so if you plan to be out and about on New Year's Eve just stay alert and safe. No dark alleys looking for kittens. Protect your head. Yes, I said your head. You know the drill.

Aries is the initiator sign - the baby being birthed from the womb of Pisces. Think about how fearless a little baby ventures into life. We all have that power within us. Aries in our chart shows us where, in our journey, we have reached the space where we need to get braver.

This is not the energy of the general who plans the army's every move; not the guy who thinks strategically. This is the energy of the soldier who runs into battle with his sword held high (think Braveheart's Scottish warriors with this one). These guys may have been running to their deaths, but for their Aries energy this was more rapture than suicide.

Aries is the starter. They are the first one to shrug their shoulders and jump into the untested, murky water. If Aries jumps in (now they may or may not come out alive although they probably do more than any other sign) - they have evolved that Aries energy, regardless of the outcome (remember we are not here for outcomes we are here for experiences, Aries energy teaches this, too).

And this jumping in is what Aries is here to do over and over again.

Aries growth is always found after we do "that thing we are afraid to do".

Playing it safe will never work and the space Aries resides in our natal chart is the space where it will not work for us to play it safe either. What house does Aries rule in your natal chart? It is about to WAKE UP.

With this transition into the Aquarian Age we all get the opportunity to learn more about our relationship to fear (aren't we the lucky ducks?).

Mars move home to Aries really kicks off 2019.

Just keep in mind we are still a few days from the New Moon and moving into eclipse season which is going to shift a whole lot of our plans. Saturn isn't about rushing and neither is Capricorn. We can catch our breath, take stock of where we are and what we have (probably more than we think we do) before starting this new chapter. The urge to move is going to be strong though and I don't easily discount our instincts! But check tomorrow's astrology first ....

On WEDNESDAY, we have our annual Sun/Saturn conjunction. Report card time. Once a year these big guys meet up and we get to see clearly what is really happening in our world and in the collective.

A light (the Sun) is thrown on reality (Saturn). Here is where we see the consequences of our actions.

If things are not going well, if stuff is falling apart, if we are beating our head against the wall (it's not a coincidence the wall is playing such a big part in U.S. politics right now)- these are all signs we need to change direction.

If things are going well, if we have achieved something, there will be rewards now for a job well done.

With Saturn (hard work, commitment, time, responsibility) so close to the Sun (our life force) there will be limits to whatever we are dealing with.

The good news, if things are not going well, is that changes made now can smoothly and simply move us toward different timelines. We are at ground zero.

A new semester always starts after report cards are given out. We all get a fresh start. We don't get a do-over though. That report card is on its way home to Dad. Doing the same thing we did before will not work.

Doing something new gives the energies at play something to work with!

Our muses grow tired of seeing us bang our heads against the wall, too. They whisper to us to go outside and shovel the snow (stretched muscles create the space for us to stretch ourselves in other ways, too).

I was born during one of these Saturn/Sun conjunctions (I have these planets within 1 degree) so can't really feel this energy clearly because I am always feeling it - it's background noise and probably a bit like carrying a stern father around in my head. And yes, he sounds like Dumbledore and likes to be called "Albie" ... but only by me.

This is a good time to care for the basic structures of our life - the stuff that supports us.

We are living in a time of disintegrating safety nets, but there are things we can do to give ourselves a steadier ground to walk on. It could be as simple as cleaning our house and putting in place sustainable systems to keep it clean. The same could be said about our money/resources.

On THURSDAY, Mercury is going to square wounded healer Chiron on his/her way out of Sagittarius. This could be about painful conversations. Information that hurts. Painful sibling situations. She is going to move right into a trine to Uranus - and Uranus is sitting very strong and very still now. So something different will be our way through this. We might feel alone. We might need to be brave. Mars is in Aries and Uranus is answering to a strong Mars now. And Mercury will immediately change signs, so whatever this in - we move on in a sober manner.

On FRIDAY, Mercury moves into Capricorn. Capricorn is a serious sign. It rules the dead of winter and that indomitable mountain goat who just puts one foot in front of the other until he reaches the summit.

With Mercury (thoughts, communication, ideas) moving into Capricorn today, our words will want to be taken seriously. Communications will be fact-checked. Sentences will be properly punctuated and spell checkers will be applied. Ideas will be more traditional. Words that are focused and precise are most effective now.

Traditional stories and songs will resonate.

This isn't Mercury's favorite place to hang out. He prefers words be fast and flexible and Capricorn is the opposite of this. Words are solid and stable here. Flowery language isn't welcome. We mean what we say and we say what we mean.

When we take our words and ideas seriously other people will, too. Contracts inked and promises made during this transit (Mercury will be in Capricorn until January 24th) will be long lasting, so let's be certain we want them to be. Write those resolutions. Make that bucket list. Start that book.

Yes, Eclipse season is going to mess with our plans. It is still worth taking the time to get things down on paper now though.

On SATURDAY we have the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Capricorn. This is foreshadowing the entire year and January 2020 and needs its own BIG post by sign. Back with that.

xo all

There is a beautiful, and gentle, Grand Water Trine between our Scorpio (Venus), Pisces (Chiron) and Cancer (North Node) houses this week that we will talk about in the dailies, too, when we look at the Moon!

Mars Conjunct Chiron | the wounded masculine, the sacred masculine - healing/hurting/surrender, losing the battle to win the war, healing through right action, healing through righteous anger, healing through acceptance

.ertesi by caspell

Last night Mars (our action, initiative, courage, masculine) met up with Chiron at 28 degrees Pisces. Wounded masculine meet our collective wounding. I have been feeling this building for weeks.

Maybe you have, too.

Contact to Chiron brings a physical/psychological/spiritual pain to our attention. Not with the intention of healing the pain (maybe more around the intention of feeling the pain). Although, yes, we want to heal our pain. We don't want to go around hurting or wallowing (and I hate this word "wallowing" like we are ducks in a pond swimming in circles, and it's not the right word because of course this is mostly an unconscious thing) in suffering.

But, whether Chironic wounds can be healed is uncertain. It's not likely. It is something we just have to learn to live with.

We didn't get what we wanted here and with this Mars contact we have to learn to live with the anger, the frustration, the resentment, the sadness of that.

There is the opportunity now - through Pisces, so that means water, forgiveness, connection, meditation, prayer, spirituality, God, compassion, letting go, endings - to release very old anger stored in our physical bodies. What is happening now is activating other times when we didn't get what we wanted, when we lost, when we had to let go of something/someone we loved, so everything is amplified.

Touching our collective wounding, we heal the collective when we heal ourselves (yes, even you with the runny nose - slow down, take care of yourself, stop pushing).

The key for people not working a major storyline this month, or being touched by someone who is, have likely been found in situations that require us to use the "right" amount of force. Asserting ourselves without pushing. Expressing our anger and frustration in healthy ways. Moving our physical body. Noticing that we are attracting angry people when we can't express our own anger. Yada, yada. You get the idea.

We are going to get past this, but not without feeling it.

At the least it is uncomfortable. At the most it will knock our legs right out from under us.

Keep in mind, we are here, on planet Earth, for the experience. Going through life looking at experiences as "lessons"  is very patriarchal thinking. It requires there be a right and a wrong way. It requires that someone else is grading how we are doing. Forget all that shit for awhile. Try thinking of what is happening as an experience you are having. Just having the experience changes us. All this "what did I learn from this?, what did I learn from this?" questioning, takes us out of the experience. Don't think too far ahead - didn't the last year with the South Node in Aquarius teach us anything? - we might just need to survive the f*cking experience. That might just be enough.

The story doesn't end here. The story never ends, but a new chapter is coming very, very soon and something is desiring a close. If we have reached some kind of "acceptance point" by now that might be a good thing (in the sense that it works in time with the energies). Grief can't be rushed and Chironic wounds can't be healed. But at some point some space of acceptance, some space of re-adjustment needs to be (and I guess will be) reached.

Today we also have the Moon (in Libra) squaring the Sun (in Capricorn) and then moving on to square Saturn - this is all early in the day EST. The Libra/Capricorn square is often balance issues around work or what we do in the world. Libra needs things to balance out. She needs to feel valued.

By 11AM EST the Moon is in better spirits for a couple hours as she sextiles Jupiter in optimistic Sagittarius. It's a good time to have a good time. Here's hoping we are all feeling that one as the 3rd quarter square (Libra/Capricorn) wanes. Avoid overdoing the alcohol now. Notice your triggers and innate escape mechanisms. Take care of yourself.

Next week we have a New Moon Solar Eclipse in Capricorn (15 degrees) that is going to kick off the next year. Have I said the biggest news of 2019 actually comes in the very beginning of 2020? Well, next week gets that story started - it actually starts on New Year's Eve when Mars finally comes home to Aries. We will all feel the "go, go, go" of that one!

In the meantime figure out what house is ruled by Capricorn and where Saturn (Capricorn's ruler) sits in your natal chart. Or email me or leave a comment and I will figure it out for you. The theme of that house - and its polarity - is about to become major, major for you.

Back tomorrow with the weekly and we'll start to look at 2019.

xo all

Pluto Sextile Venus | the power of love to heal and transform, til death do us part, lucrative encounters, deepening passions, love/money stuff gets intense, someone somewhere is getting what they want out of this and someone else is mad (Mars) at God (Pisces) that they haven't ...

feathers by Dabadus

Our productive Virgo Moon goes void at 11:27AM EST off an opposition to a watered down Mars in Pisces. Bring an umbrella. And a box of tissues. Take an extra Vitamin C. Focus on the details. Another good morning/early afternoon for solitary work.

At 3:23PM EST, she moves into balanced and social Libra for the next couple days.

The Moon's change of signs is followed by Venus's (Libra's ruler) move into sextile (opportunity) with Pluto (power/transformation).

Venus is in Scorpio (Pluto's sign) giving this sextile (sextiles are opportunities, but are sometimes easy to miss) some extra oomph.

Love gets intense. Our likes/dislikes more passionately felt. Relationships can feel overwhelming (in a good way mostly). We are obsessed with whatever it is we are wanting. 

All kinds of encounters are more powerful (potentially lucrative and transformational) under this influence. This afternoon would be a good time to be out and about. Good for deep interactions. Sex. IVF. Making bank with your passion. Other people's money. Gold diggers. Beauty is power. Flirting works.

The power of love to transform.

There are power players working together from your Scorpio and Capricorn houses - what are the themes of those houses for you?

At the same time Venus is opposing Juno (marriage/contracts/commitments) in stable (stable for now, since Uranus has backed into Aries - there will be more rock and roll here in March and then for the next few years!) Taurus and Pluto is squaring Pallas (strategy) in diplomatic Libra.

Relationship transformation? Power struggles? Contract revisions? Passive-aggressive behavior around love or money? A strong urge to spend money? A strong urge to merge ... something?

All too complicated to untangle this rainy Friday morning.

And doesn't the week between holidays always leave us a little bit lost?

And all the while, as we read our Christmas books, drink our leftover Christmas hot cocoa, nurse our colds and fevers, return our unwanted gifts - Mars (in Pisces - our wounded masculine, our spiritual warrior) is making his way toward Chiron ....

xo all

Active Virgo Moon, Mars Trine North Node, Venus Conjunct Ceres - emotional day, easing into our future, pain, sadness, the seasons of our lives, what we can't control, the past, grief, compassion, love

I and you are one soul by Tanja Moss
 
Today feels very emotional - the Moon in practical and earthy Virgo will help (although she looks pretty stressed for much of the day).

The Moon moved into "everything-in-its-place" Virgo yesterday afternoon - did you feel that New Year urge to get things cleaned up and organized? You haven't taken that tree down already, have you? - where she will reside until tomorrow afternoon creating a focus on organization, paperwork, our health, the day-to-day-stuff, our pets and our work/co-workers.

Our Virgo Moon (as us) will be uber active - squaring Jupiter, trining Saturn, opposing Neptune and squaring Mercury before she can finally rest with a nice sextile to Venus and trine to Pluto in the evening. That square to Jupiter could mean the day starts with tension/stress. The morning is probably best for solitary work. That Neptune opposition at lunchtime could have us going head to head with a Pisces person, a situation involving a Neptunian theme - the past, a hospital, something ending, an addiction situation, maybe we want/need to get something tangible done and someone else is over here tempting us with cookies. Mexican wedding cookies. Mexican wedding cookies with walnuts. The square to Mercury feels like an argument, a clash of beliefs or stress over a Sagittarian situation - maybe travel, education, wedding, politics, religion, media, foreign issues.

We also have Mars (still in Pisces, but just 4 days away from a return to his home sign of Aries - the first time in 3 years) trining (brakes off) the North Node (our collective way forward through the sign of Cancer). We take action - which may feel more like a drift - toward something that feels like home (cue Norman Rockwell here), like family, something authentic and deeply familiar, something that stirs our emotions and likely makes us feel more vulnerable.

Remember the North Node is in Cancer now, our vulnerability is a SUPER POWER this year.

This is followed by Mars meeting Chiron on SATURDAY on his way out of Pisces. This one is going to hurt. Whether the hurt is like a bandaid kind of hurt when it has been applied incorrectly and yanks off part of the scab when removed or like surgery without anesthesia depends on our natal chart and what we have been dealing with the last month and year. Whatever this is for us it will require release, compassion, forgiveness - for ourselves and others - empathy, imagination, spirituality, God. All the tools in our Piscean toolkit will be put to good use. Whatever survives intact will move on to Aries and start a brand new cycle. Not everything can/should go with us. Some things are just too painful to hold onto. Chironic wounds are very old and very deep. We will talk about this more in the next post.

Venus (love, money., resources, our self-esteem and values) meets up with Ceres (nurturing, mothering, cycles of life, loss) today at 19 degrees Scorpio. Take Ceres seriously. This is making me think of a butterfly poster I had on my wall as a kid, "If you love someone set them free. If they return to you, they are yours. If they don't they never were." Ugh.

I am not the right person to see this aspect now clearly. Maybe none of the aspects. I'm not sure. I am grieving the loss of my beloved pup Olive, who died a few days before Christmas, and only seeing/feeling the "loving something we are forced to give up", the seasons of life part, of this Ceres transit through Scorpio. There is surely something in here about nurturing and commitment, and my wish for you is that you are feeling that now. Scorpio is serious business. Whatever this love/money/resources/self-esteem thing is for you this month, take it seriously.

Tomorrow the Moon will be void from 11:27AM EST to 3:23PM EST when she moves into Libra.

xo all

I started this blog when Olive was just a pup with the idea of documenting the growth of Olive and my jewelry business at the same time. It's made a few left turns since that time, but I am not up for continuing it without her. Whether the astrology blog will survive in another form is a decision for another day. In the meantime I have started a 2019 series, so we can all look ahead a bit and that and an Olive post will be the last of things over here ....