Astrological Forecast for January 2009

The New Year gets off to slow start, still in the shadow of a Saturn station on December 31st. When the planet of structure, delays, work and responsibility stops in his tracks, we can expect that things will be moving slowly, and a sober atmosphere may prevail at a time usually associated with freestyle partying.

Many planets change signs this month, but Jupiter’s move from Capricorn to Aquarius on the 5th is the most significant. The planet of expansion and inspiration was feeling a bit stifled in the sign of the mountain goat, and can breathe easier in the cool air of Aquarius. The next year should put the wind into the sails of social reform and progressive political causes. Look to January 24th, when the sun meets up with Jupiter, for an indication of how this will manifest.

Mercury, planet of communication and commerce, does his backwards dance this month. He’s retrograde from January 11th through February 1st. Mercury’s retrograde period, when he appears to be moving backward in the sky, is not a good time for signing contracts or entering into business agreements, and is particularly poor for purchasing electronics or automobiles. Use this time to go further into meditation and nonverbal activities. Starting a new book probably isn’t the best idea, but you might want to reread something from the past - you might be surprised how much more you get out of it the second time around. In our technologically-dependent era, Mercury retrograde can seem a terrible burden, but the lesson to learned is that we need some down time to act as background for all of our activities.

There is an eclipse of the sun on the 26th at 2:59 a.m. Eastern time. Unfortunately, unlike their lunar cousins, solar eclipses are only visible when they occur during the day, and this one can only be seen from the southern hemisphere, in the neighborhood of the Indian Ocean. Eclipses are powerful new moons, times when we feel the potential of the future before we can see it, like the intense feeling before a thunderstorm. It is a time of beginnings, but we often don’t know what it is that is being created. This eclipse takes place at about 7 degrees of Aquarius, and those with significant placements in the early degrees of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) will feel it most directly. It’s a good time to focus your highest intentions for the future - yours personally and ours collectively.

Venus, planet of love and relationship, and also the planet of values and valuables, is the star of the show this month. She moves into Pisces on the 3rd, where she is considered to be exalted. Venus in Pisces is about the spiritual dimension of love, agape rather than eros. This is love that goes beyond the personal you-and-me sort, which so often devolves into ego-driven power struggles, and which acknowledges our common bonds with all beings. Still, we also lead our individual lives, and Venus in the sign of the fish lends a certain grace to our more mundane affairs, as well.

Just after she changes sign, on the 4th, Venus makes a nice aspect to Pluto, indicating an ease between what we want and how we go about getting it. This aspect is especially good for financial matters, such as dealing with a bank (well, as good as times allow...).

Towards the end of the month, Venus is again in the spotlight. On the 22nd, she meets up with revolutionary Uranus, on the same day that Mars makes a nice sextile to him. Venus and Uranus together is about trying something different, breaking out of routines, and exploring new options in partnerships of all kinds. The additional boost from Mars should be of real benefit for those who feel the need to innovate. Relationships that are stuck in a rut may get a jolt that can either get things moving, or increase the frustration (especially if there is resistance to change). If it’s time to let go, this is also an opportunity for saying goodbye.

On the 24th, Venus makes two aspects, an opposition to Saturn, followed by a sextile to Mars. The first can be a real make-it-or-break-it moment for relationships, as we look for the bottom line and want to know what we’re really getting out of our partnerships. Be careful that you don’t give in to a darker interpretation than is really warranted, as Saturn paints everything in shades of gray. The aspect to Mars will put the wind back in the sails of a relationship which has passed the test.

Taking the time between the 22nd and 24th as a whole, we can see that there is something of a test. An urge to break free and refresh ourselves pushes us in one direction, but this is quickly followed by a reality check. For those relationships which can stand a little stretching, the potential exists to incorporate a greater freedom into the structure of the partnership. At best, we can become less demanding and less prone to give in to our insecurities, always good things. If we have a tough time of it, that’s not a failure, but a clue that we need to look deeper into our assumptions about relationships.

January is a month when the larger cosmic changes are brought into our personal lives, although we’ll see plenty of activity on the collective level as well. In general, we’ll see that early part of the month moves a little slower and has a more serious feel, while the latter days of January will have more of an "up in the air" feeling. At either time, we would do well to keep in mind that whatever change brings, one of the most important things is our attitude towards both good news and bad.