1:41 pm PST

9:41 pm UTC

New Moon, New Year

Many of us are still reeling from the Saturn/Pluto conjunction that formed for a few days around January 12^th. Also in this lineup was the asteroid Ceres, symbol of the Great Mother archetype. All of them are in the more serious sign of Capricorn. Jupiter, the planet of “fun” and expansiveness, is also moving through that sign, a sign that is ruled by Saturn, the archetypal energy of limitation and severity, among other things. Not to worry, we are moving through the dark of that heavy eclipse cycle, and into the sign of equality and revolution, Aquarius.

Aquarius has as its banner   the flags of freedom, egalitarianism, unity amongst diversity, and universal brother/sisterhood. The world can certainly use this energy right now! This New Moon makes a new beginning happen within each of our lives, to vistas of change and shifting from the old habits toward the new ways that the New Year brings. The Chinese also celebrate this New Moon as the beginning of another annual cycle. However, Uranus, the ruling planet of Aquarius, forms a square (challenging angle of 90˚) to the New Moon. This cautions us to remember that with all of our ideas and philosophies about what is right and wrong, Uranus in Taurus now asks us to pay attention to the greater needs of our Planet Earth, which is in deep and irrevocable process of global change. What will be left after (or if) humanity and our ruling elites awaken to our ongoing decline, is still up to us, but we must put to use our ideals, make them practically applicable in order to enter into the New Age that Aquarius symbolizes. Uranus in a square to this New Moon/New Year says that these processes of change will not necessary be breezy and easy.

Venus is now in dreamy imaginative Pisces, and is conjoining Neptune, the ruler of Pisces, (exact on January 27th). Venus and Neptune together in the most deeply spiritual (or unconscious) sign of the zodiac, augurs a time of learning from our dreams during this Moon cycle. This is particularly heightened by the exact square that Mars cruising through Sagittarius is forming to that duo. Old ways of gendering our relationships to power, to spirit, to our relationships are part of the Aquarian energy of change and revolution, bringing our inner world to a topsy-turvy state at times. Change disrupts our sense of stability, but also brings new and innovative ways of coping with the demands of our lives.

With the political state of the US in total upheaval now, each of us is feeling the effects of a mass consciousness that it in a sense waiting for the other shoe to drop. If things go on as they have for the past many years, justice will be thrown under the bus, and the one percent will continue to rule. But Saturn right now is in direct opposition to the Mercury in the US’s natal chart. The ruler of karma is pulling deeply on the other side of the nation’s communication center (which is a retrograde Mercury by the way!) and our entrenched way of thinking that we can propagandize our way out of conflict now is being “roasted” by the effects of Saturn, and its proximity to Pluto, the underworld guardian of power. How this plays out, we shall see. Ceres, the Great Mother, is awaiting our collective decision.

We are all connected on a deep level, as the archetypal symbology of the outer planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto remind us. And those of us who are sensitive will be feeling the “earthquakes” of change in the world. Be extra kind to yourself, and guard your health during this next Moon cycle. If you need time to dream, if you hear the calling of Venus/Neptune, make sure you get time to rest and sleep. However, all the planets are now in direct motion until mid-February, so this is also a time to complete whatever can be finished, in order to clear the decks for fresh and new energies to become a part of our lives. Let our hearts be the true guiding light through this time.