Astrological Forecast for January & February 2015

Happy New Year! 2015 begins with a continuation of some very charged energy that we’ve been living with since mid-December. January usually features some of the coldest weather of the year in the Wisdom reading area, but the cosmic weather is very hot indeed!

January

The year gets started with a bang as a series of hot aspects go off like New Year’s noise makers, beginning with an energetic opposition of Mars and Jupiter on the 1st. While this aspect can fuel passions and could make for some fun parties around the holiday, tempers could flare up and patience is likely to be in short supply. Just two days later, on the 3rd, the Sun squares Uranus and meets Pluto, sparking up the Uranus-Pluto square that was exact in mid-December. It’s been an intense few weeks through the holiday season, and we may see the most obvious results around this time.

That’s especially true with the Full Moon on the 4th. In the security-oriented sign of Cancer, we may find ourselves second-guessing the very changes we demanded just a few days (or minutes) ago. Yet we can also see what is and isn’t working for us, and begin to blaze a trail towards a new and different kind of security. Clinging to old ways and tradition may feel good for a moment, until we realize why we began to seek out change in the first place.

In the midst of this charged cosmic energy, Venus and Mercury move into Aquarius on the 3rd and 4th. In this airy sign we should  be able to get at least a bit of perspective on things, and perhaps  temper reactions with thought and reflection. Both planets will be busy through the next few weeks, acting as mediators in the ongoing struggles of the outer planets.

On the 13th and 14th, both Venus and Mercury will bein an easy sextile to Uranus, suggesting that we can create new patterns of relating and open up the lines of communication. Generally, sextiles are soft aspects that don’t have a lot of energy, but given the overall intensity of  the cosmic weather in January, there’s bound to be plenty of motivation to make the most of these aspects.

For example, on the 15th Mars squares Saturn. Mars –now in Pisces – is ready to act and push the limits, while Saturn asks us to sit still and consider what our beliefs about the world are telling us. The internal tension between the go-and-stop energies could be hard to handle, although if we direct our actions with strong intention we can accomplish a great deal.

Venus, the goddess of love, opposes Jupiter on the19th, the same day that warrior Mars meets up with Neptune. Venus and Jupiter get along well, even in an opposition, and we could expect a fun day where everyone is ready  to share their abundance. The one caveat to Venus/Jupiter aspects is the potential for too much of a good thing, so watch out for overindulgence. With active Mars meeting beyond-the-limits Neptune, the temptation to take things too far could be strong. While a bit of caution is advised, this really could be a passionate day, especially for those in solid relationships.

Only the dark New Moon feel runs counter to the upbeat tone of the third week in January. We wind down and inwards at the New Moon, which is on the 20th, just after the Sun enters Aquarius. Take some time to set intentions around where you want to be in the coming year. Like the solstice New Moon in December, this lunation gives us a chance to make resolutions that will stick because they are acted upon. Take even small steps towards making your goals a reality around the New Moon. A simple symbolic action could create resonance far into the future.

On the 21st, Mercury stations to go retrograde until February 11th. By now, almost everyone is familiar with the Cosmic Gremlin that is Mercury retrograde. It may be that communication and technology snafus are no more common during these periods, but they certainly seem more prominent. Computer glitches happen all the time, for instance, but during Mercury retrograde periods they often manifest in truly odd, eye-catching ways. Either way, it’s likely that our attention will be brought to Mercurial matters during the next few weeks.

Venus enters Pisces on January 27th. In the sign of the fish, Venus is more about universal, compassionate love (agape) than personal erotic love (Eros), more Mother Theresa than Marilyn Monroe. Perhaps that’s why St. Valentine’s Day (which is, after all a religious holiday, and a Catholic one at that) so often has Venus in Pisces, as it does this year.

As the month ends, Venus squares Saturn. Relationship issues may be at the forefront, and we could feel it is a decision time. While making a commitment or deciding to part amicably are two possibilities, the pressure that we feel to choose one path is less real than it feels. Indeed, do pay attention to whatever comes up in terms of partnership issues, and recognize that it is important. But if you need to take more time before acting, don’t feel that time is slipping away on you.

February

We get a dramatic shift in our approach to relationships on the 1st of February. While late January had a bottom-line, realistic, practical sort of energy, as we move into the new month we begin to see possibilities multiplying as Venus meets Neptune. We might be confusing fantasy with reality, but then again we could also be imagining a better life and loves – and imagination is the starting point for manifesting reality. It might be that making a firm commitment is a little out of place with Venus so close to  the planet known for creating illusions, but this is a good starting point. Things may seem much better or worse than they really are, but that’s not a reason not to participate.

The Leo Full Moon is on the 3rd. This is always the Party Moon of the year, and with the Venus/Neptune aspect still fresh we should be ready for fun. It doesn’t exactly help that these romantic and festive celestial party invitations come on a Sunday to Tuesday stretch of the week, but while that may quell group activities, one to one encounters could reap the rewards.

On the 6th, the Sun opposes Jupiter, an aspect that could get egos to go a bit over the top. The Sun and Jupiter speak the same language, and the latter is in the former’s home of Leo. Between the Full Moon and this aspect, we could be having “Summer in February” – perfect if you’ve scheduled a vacation in warmer climes, but we should have some toasty weather up north, too, at least when it comes to socializing Mercury stations to go direct on the 11th, ending three weeks of retrograding. Right around the stations is when the trickster side of Mercury is most likely to show up, so watch out for the metaphorical banana peel, especially as we’re at the active Last Quarter Moon in emotional Scorpio.

The cosmic weather cools down considerably for the next week, with no major aspects until the New Moon on the 18th. While the term blue moon applies to the second full moon in the same month, we have here what might be called an indigo moon – the second New Moon in the same sign. This one is at the very last degree and minute of Aquarius, and it occurs only two minutes before the Sun leaves the sign and enters Pisces. In fact, the disk of the sun would have already partially crossed into the last sign of the zodiac, so this lunation knits together powerfully the sense of beginnings and endings that are part of every New Moon. Be especially conscious of what is changing and what needs to change in your life – we are at the cusp of some important transitions in our personal and collective lives. This is atime to steer from the deepest levels of your being – surface questions and answers are insufficient.

From the 19th through the 22nd, the energy shifts considerably as Venus and Mars enter Aries and meet up in the first sign of the zodiac. In relationships and otherwise,  this is a time of beginnings, a point where the intentions set at the New Moon can begin to come into reality. It should be a fun, hot, passionate time, although the Sun’s meeting with Saturn on the 23rd could cool things off a bit, and Venus’ trine to Saturn on the 24th will once again ask for some serious answers to serious questions.

The month ends with the Sun’s meeting with Neptune on the 25th. This conjunction could help us to make progress on our spiritual paths, and to connect with our higher source. Taken from a more egotistical perspective, it is another aspect that could push us further into an inflated sense of our own importance. Even the process of finding our connection with spirit can be tricky, as we may be tempted to siphon off some spiritual power for personal magnificence. Keep a bit of humility on hand, no matter how grand things appear. Meditate, pray, and give to someone or something else without concern for the results.

Armand M. Diaz, Ph.D. helps clients make decisions that are in harmony with their greatest potential, offering a truly integral approach to astrology. Armand has practiced divination for more than twenty years, working with the I Ching and Tarot in addition to astrology. He has published in various astrological journals, including The Mountain Astrologer.  His most recent book, Separating Aspects: The Astrology of Breakups, Divorce, and Other Partings, is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com.  He can be reached through his website at www.integralastrology.net.