Here we are, at the start of another year with all the promises and resolutions we can bring to bear on our current situations and unfinished scenarios. The New Year commenced during the Moon’s darkened, pre-eclipse phase which means we’re carrying baggage into the Year 2019, big time; karmic cargo on the road to sunrise, as it were.
We’ll take a look at the Year 2019 in another post, but for now it’s important to note that how we choose to show up this coming week (during the Moon’s First Quarter Phase) will have a big impact on outcomes as they find expression throughout the year. Because we’re currently navigating through that odd, two week period sandwiched between two eclipses along with a hefty dose of amplified Uranus, we should expect some psychic turbulence as we take the first tentative steps into the new year.
The qualities of fitness and flexibility, both physical and mental, are assets this week along with a sense of humor and an open heart in the face of darkness and fear. We’re now on the other side of the Solstice, the place where the light returns and our shadows are cast more starkly against the ground of daily life.
Eclipsed Sun
Saturday’s New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse opened a new cycle in the heart of Capricorn (15Cap25) at the Moon’s South Node, placing the focus on clearing obstructions and habits that block us from accomplishing those things that give our lives a sense of meaning and purpose. Such obstacles are often found in the form of fear: the fear of failure, fear of not living up to socially-accepted forms of behavior or the fear of letting go of parts of our story that we’ve used to define ourselves, no matter how painful such parts may be. Solar eclipses have an association with matters past-tense while setting a vibratory tone that will reverberate for months into the future.
With the New Moon Eclipse having taken place in Capricorn, its focus tends to be on traditional forms, status quo thinking and conservative values, all of which are poised for a sea-change in the weeks and months to come. Another important point is that this Eclipse is taking place in close vicinity to both Saturn and Pluto, ahead of their drawn-out conjunction in Capricorn. This would suggest the need for inner evaluation with regard to how we interface with society and the collective tribes we associate ourselves with. Utilizing the stabilizing influence of earthly Capricorn, we can use this period for establishing a grounded awareness as we navigate the chaos that appears to be growing in the outer world.
An Epiphany
Speaking of chaos, the planet Uranus is stationary direct at the end of Aries (28Ari36) on Sunday (Epiphany), amplifying its symbolic qualities of freedom, liberation, revolution and flashes of cosmic insight. Of course, Uranus has effectively been motionless for the past week and will remain that way for another week to come, so its influence tends to be spread out and not limited to Sunday’s station. As Uranus is also in a square aspect with the Moon’s Nodal Axis (connected with the eclipse), there may be a fated or ironic quality to this time with the potential for some rather bizarre events intruding on the realm of the mundane. Look at it as a cosmic elbow in the ribs. Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!
Alongside the qualities of innovation and progressive thinking, stationary Uranus in its current location also indicates rebellious attitudes and disruptions to the status quo. Go figure. Significant is the fact that this will be Uranus’ final station in Aries, a fiery and often reactive sign that Uranus has occupied since 2010, before making a final foray across the cusp of Taurus in early March. The divisive and aggressive tone that has interjected itself into national and international politics these past nine years is now having one final tantrum before shuffling off into Taurus where the shake ups will become much more immediate and concrete, not merely rhetorical.
Ever So Briefly
One more time: the coming week falls in the Moon’s opening, First Quarter Phase which favors actions taken to further one’s goals and aspirations despite any appearance of delays and setbacks. Venus, now brilliant in the morning sky before sunrise, crosses the cusp into Sagittarius on Monday after having spent the past four months pacing back and forth between Libra and Scorpio as a result of its October retrograde. This would signal a shift in values from the realm of the deeply personal and relational to the social as Sagittarius is the first of the so-called “universal signs” where the qualities of Venus are extended into the realm of laws, politics and belief systems. Finally, we may be experiencing low gravity sensations as we move toward the end of the current forecast period and the onset of the first of three Jupiter-Neptune squares of the year. This is an excellent combination for mystical work and spiritual practice, but not the best for matters concerning honesty, boundaries, sanity or a semblance of balanced proportion.
Lunar Gardening Report
Even though Saturday night’s New Moon Eclipse opened a new planting cycle, there won’t be any real favorable days for doing so until Wednesday afternoon when the Moon takes on light in the fertile sign of Pisces through Friday. This marks the first excellent days of the year for seeding, germinating, sprouting, transplanting or feeding, especially with marine-based nutrients. The days before and after this stretch will be inauspicious for most hands-on gardening work.
Daily Forecast (For all signs)
(Times are Eastern Standard/-0500UTC)
Saturday, Jan. 5: Capricorn New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse. Late morning hosts an aspect suggesting the need for healing, particularly with respect to relationships and sexuality (Venus trine Chiron). Duty and responsibility are making themselves known, perhaps a final matter to tend to as the current solar-lunar cycle comes to a definitive close. The New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse becomes exact at 8:28 pm, opening a powerful new cycle in the heart of Capricorn (15Cap 25), pointing to a year of consequence and opportunity. Although we might have celebrated the New Year last Tuesday, from a cosmic standpoint, this is where it really begins, encouraging us to move boldly forward with our resolutions and ambitions. Because this New Moon is also an eclipse, the Cazimi Window isn’t open this time around, but shouldn’t stop you from formulating and planning your entrance into the new cycle on Monday. That’s when all lights turn green and we’re cleared for departure. Make sure your seat is in an upright position and your seat-belt is securely fastened. Relax and enjoy your flight.
Sunday, Jan. 6: Epiphany. We’re still under the influence of last night’s New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse in Capricorn and a time when the seeds of the first lunar cycle of the year only begin to germinate. Adding to the commotion, Uranus is motionless ahead of turning direct this afternoon in the late degrees of Aries (28Ari36); lending its own brand of surprising, disruptive, revolutionary impulses to the first fortnight of the year. As Epiphany is the day associated with revelations and brilliant insights, we may be standing at the brink of a new awareness that shines like a lamp in this time of darkness and uncertainty.
Monday, Jan. 7: The Moon now traces a path through clear-headed Aquarius while taking on light of its own at the start of a new solar-lunar cycle; signaling the all-clear for any new initiatives you’ve been eager to launch in the New Year. After having paced back and forth through Scorpio and Libra since early September, Venus finally crosses the cusp into Sagittarius where our values shift from the personal to the social throughout the coming month. This is an excellent planet-sign combination for long-distance romance, vacationing to faraway places or pursuing relationships based on spiritual and philosophical similarities.
Tuesday, Jan. 8: Fightin’ words and fender-benders are possible first thing this morning (Mercury square Mars) with the remainder of the day favorable for putting fresh ideas into practice. Group projects and community-based initiatives are highly recommended under the waxing Moon in Aquarius.
Wednesday, Jan. 9: New insights and a different approach could get the ball rolling this morning while we’re encouraged to hit the pause button once the Moon goes void of course (VOC) in Aquarius at 11:53 am where it will remain until 2:45 pm when the Moon enters Pisces. This might represent a shift from clear-eyed awareness to dreamy states of mind, perhaps with an elevated interest in photography, movies, music or altered states; even so, not everyone will share your enthusiasm for such things. Just sayin’
Thursday, Jan. 10: A string of lunar alignments formed by the Pisces Moon throughout the day suggest a mixed bag of themes: Communication and mental focus get a boost while it would be easy to go overboard in the early evening hours. Some of you may be feeling a bit ungrounded or vulnerable later tonight; if so, tune into the sensation to see if it has something to offer.. You may be pleasantly surprised by the answer you get.
Friday, Jan. 11: The waxing Moon continues to tread the waters of Pisces today, lending an idealistic or unrealistic tone to the proceedings. The use or misuse of power is indicated along with the potential for manipulative behaviors to get one’s way (Sun conjunct Pluto). As the Sun represents executive action, authority and monarchy, you can guess who’s likely to be in the cross-hairs of this conjunction. Whatever unfolds, the momentum will carry it forward into the future before culminating in a breakthrough or standoff come mid-July.
Saturday, Jan. 12: With the Moon stomping through the fires of Aries, we can expect an active day ahead with a fair chance at a cooperative engagement during the mid-afternoon hours followed by a tense moment in the early evening. We could also be experiencing a massive deception or something going terribly wrong ahead of tomorrow’s Jupiter-Neptune square which is known to coincide with financial downturns, over-idealistic approaches or some brand of social nonsense that's being snapped off the shelves. Needless to say, be mindful where you place your trust this weekend and be sure to take a long look at anything that looks too good to be true.
Copyright 2019 Gary Paul Glynn