Current Transits for January 97

Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...

Headlines:

Mars enters Libra, 1-3
New Moon, 1-8
Jupiter conjunct Neptune, 1-9
Mercury Direct Station, 1-12
Jupiter enters Aquarius, 1-21
Full Moon, 1-23

General Outlook for the Month

OK, take a deep breath. Enjoy the holiday glow awhile yet, because after the 8th, it will all become a distant memory. January starts out quietly, but quickly develops into one of the biggest planetary storms I've ever studied. The energy is positive and creative, but too much of a good thing is still too much. That Grand Finale I've been talking about for so many months is getting underway, so you can expect your world to shift radically the next few months. It feels like we're going into permanent overdrive during this time period, that the world is a buzzing confusion around us. There's a strong element of the unexpected and surprising about all this, so keep your eyes open for new and novel ways. Experiment abit, try out something new you never considered before. In a sense, we've been practicing about 21 months for this time, preparing ourselves for this final push. You may feel tired and battle fatigued, but now is the time when you will start seeing the results of all these past efforts. Good luck -- and don't take things so seriously (Uranus doesn't)!

I'm not really certain when I first starting talking about this "Grand Finale" phenomenon, but I've long been fascinated by this final stage of the sextile of Uranus and Pluto. The more I've studied this coming period, the more intriguing it's appeared as a major astrological influence. In essence, all the slow-moving, outer planets are in cahoots (a rarity by itself), and funneling their influences through numerous fast moving bodies down to us on earth in our everyday lives. This much planetary power working harmoniously together is sure to come across as a cosmic Mack truck, for better or worse. Since the outer planets operate primarily at an unconscious, hidden, unsuspecting level, it can appear that the world is "out of control" (from the ego's point of view). These planets also are known as "spiritual" powers, meaning they strip away the inconsequential things in our lives and point us towards a deeper contact with who we really are deep down. It can sometimes have a feeling of being intensely karmic, fated, or "meeting your destiny", since this deeper self is the part of us that actually rules our paths on this earth, not the ego. Keep in mind this background process as you read the rest of this page, as it colors everything.

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Mars enters Libra, 1-3

Mars moves from Virgo into Libra on the 3rd (lasting until 3-8). By the time Mars reaches its retrograde station on 2-5 (the same day as the final Uranus-Pluto sextile) at 5Li55, it is opposite Saturn, trine to Uranus and Jupiter, and sextile to Pluto -- an integral part of the Grand Finale pattern. It's worth noting that the USA natal Jupiter is 5Cn55, indicating this is a crucial time for the country (and probably the new Clinton administration as well). Mars in Libra is not a very natural placement. Mars is the ultimate egotist, the fellow who does anything he wants "just because..." He's all action and bluster. But Libra requires him to tone down his act, to rely on cooperation and tact when he'd rather use an M-16. There's a sense that having to work with others "crimps my style" or imposes restrictions of some kind. However, learning the disciplines of diplomacy and submerging your ego to the greater good are important lessons during this passage. Don't get caught up in needing to pull rank on others all the time.

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New Moon at 18Cp57, 1-8

As we head into the new moon, a time of new beginnings and fresh starts, the planetary storm is definitely underway. In fact, the 7th and 8th may feel rather stressful and disorienting, as the energy is shifting rapidly and such changes usually throw us off balance. The Grand Finale is underway at last!

Besides the new moon symbolism (the start of new cycles), there are 2 telling planetary contacts going off in the next few hours. The first is an opposition of Mars and Saturn, as Mars starts to interact with the outer planets in the Finale. This contact is one of the classic "call 911" aspects in traditional astrology, as Saturn and Mars are both "malefics" (read: "pesky and difficult planets") and the opposition tends to introduce conflict and tension into the situation. In effect, we've been working internally for a long time and now it's time to start focusing our attention in a more outward direction. Frankly, we're a bit rusty and our old skills just don't seem to work well in the present circumstances. It's going to take some time to get up to speed with expressing the new Self that's emerging from within us. A less developed form of Mars the Warrior is very self-centered and not understanding of anything beyond his immediate desires. But now we're drafted to be "spiritual warriors" and the rules of the game are much different. This level of Mars puts his power and action in service of goals larger than himself, striving for the good of all and not just Number 1.

The other contact, the conjunction of Jupiter and Neptune, acts as the ideal or vision for this new warrior to pursue. Jupiter and Neptune are both spiritual, mind-expanding, boundary-removing influences, although their techniques clearly differ. They say our vision of what is right and possible is way too limited -- we risk having our dreams being passed up by the realities heading our way. The conjunction lies in Capricorn (very close to the USA Pluto, in fact!), a sign that often suffers from the influence of its ruling planet, Saturn. Saturn is Lord of Limits and Form, a conservative and uncreative energy that sometimes preserves structures long after they've ceased being useful. A higher vision of Capricorn can be summed up as "heaven on earth", literally bringing the world of the spirit into our everyday, down-to-earth lives. It sounds idealistic in the extreme, but it's the direction the Uranus-Pluto sextile has been pushing us all along. Curiously, the Jupiter-Neptune contact is nestled right between 2 asteroids, Ceres and Vesta, and connects up with Venus. They literally add a feminine touch to the conjunction, subjugating Mars the Warrior to the Great Mother in this phase of our lives. From here on, our worlds are turned topsy-turvy and all we have to do is make the most of it. We've all got a wave to catch...

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Jupiter conjunct Neptune, 1-9

The conjunction of Jupiter and Neptune (at 27Cp09) officially announces Jupiter's entrance into the Grand Finale. This conjunction (which repeats every 13 years) has important spiritual overtones, since Jupiter rules over conventional religious activity and Neptune is known for its mystical streak. It feels like a very liberating, enlightening influence, although both planets can delude or deceive a person. Historically, it also triggers significant political changes, since Neptune dissolves the typical social and political connnections between people to make way for something new. Expect influences from afar to come into your life, eroding old beliefs and prejudices that have outlived their usefulness. It's a good time to rely on the wisdom of others that have travelled this path before -- don't feel that you have to do everything yourself.

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Mercury Direct Station at 2Cp58, 1-12

Mercury reaches its direct station on the 12th, the point in its path where it shifts from reverse gear to forward motion, again. Mercury is the thinking, symbol-using part of the mind, the part that changes the real world into fairy castles in the psyche and then moves in. The danger in this enterprise is that the movie version in our heads never matches the depth and complexity of the actual world about us, so we occasionally are surprised by something out of the blue that's not "supposed" to happen. Mercury in reverse gear is renowned for making us pay the rent on our fairy castles, for owning up to the fact that we usually are making up the world as we want it to be instead of accepting reality as it truly is. This is a period when the thinking mind goes on vacation, the brain is in a fog, communications hit unexpected snags. Especially with the astrological mileau changing so quickly and drastically these days, our ideas of how things "should" be are undoubtedly overdue to be tossed in the garbage. Attend closely to practical matters during this time if you must, remembering that much of this work will need to be redone later anyway. Better still, avoid making big decisions until well after the 12th, when the Mercury mind will be plugged into the socket once more.

(Curious note: In the movie "2001", the computer HAL first "became operational" today. With a birthday like this, no wonder he went crazy and started killing people!)

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Jupiter enters Aquarius, 1-21

Jupiter is conjunct the Sun (one of the most beneficial aspects in traditional astrology) on the 19th, and then enters Aquarius on the 21st. From here on into February, Jupiter contacts all the other outer planets in the Grand Finale, creating quite a ruckus for us earthlings. Despite the intensity of these contacts, Jupiter is usually a friendly, supportive energy, like a rich uncle that's here to lend a helping hand. His entrance into Aquarius is apt to induce a subtle change in attitude, as well. This placement is extremely upbeat and optimistic, dwelling on the positives of being involved in a grand adventure with fellow travellers. Enjoy the shift from all the heavy Capricorn energy so common this time of year.

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Full Moon at 3Le40, 1-23

If you thought the new moon was a barrel of laughs, you'll love the full moon -- it's a Koz Quake (you can see the waveform on the Energy Patterns page)! With the Sun squeezed between Jupiter and Uranus (and the Moon directly opposite), Uranus energy is accented the next 2 weeks (which includes the last sextile with Pluto). "Expect the unexpected" is probably a major understatement during this time (maybe "expect the unimaginable" is more to the point). There's a lot of creative mental energy darting about that broadens horizons and totally bends existing points of view out of shape. Your interactions with others will produce endless shocks and challenges to you, forcing you to create yourself anew on many levels. Don't expect the hustle and bustle around you to make much sense, because Uranus operates with a speed and inscrutible depth that leaves the Mercury mind grasping for straws (and Mercury is weak now, anyway). We are being stripped of the usual "props" of our lives, revealing in startling clarity a deep, inner core of ourselves that normally lies hidden and dormant. Not everyone is up to this challenge, but it's worth the effort to tune into this level. The birth of this spirit child within is what the sextile has been about these last 2 years. It would be a shame to miss it when it finally happened. So, plan on the world being crazy, be ready for anything, hold no preconceptions -- the rest should be easy...

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