After such a huge month in December, with the download of planetary events at a dizzying pace, January will seem light, even though it is above average in activity. It is a true new beginning.
But first, a few completions: Jupiter and Uranus have been entertaining us with their pas de deux since last February, teaching us how to create miracles. After January 4, they speed on their separate journeys, but the lessons can remain with us if we will retain them. We still have to use the available energies, which will not be so electric and expansive. These energies are available to us at all times, however, just not dominant as they were during 2010.
The story on January 4 is fantastic, a crescendo of the energies we’ve been working with since February. Jupiter and Uranus come together in a last display of cosmic fireworks in our lives, just as Venus finishes its hero’s journey to trine them. Relationships that have been developing since early September will get a big boost today. You’ll see how well you’ve worked with the energies to create something wonderful in your life. No matter what form it takes for you, it will fill a void in your life that you’ve long wanted to fill. This is the universe responding to each of us specifically according to our greatest need. The miracle we get now is the amazing result of surrendering to the universe, trusting it to provide for us what we can’t imagine for ourselves because our consciousness was wounded there before. It is the ultimate healing.
Casting the beautiful pattern of January 4 into fixed form is that day’s Solar Eclipse. This means that the energies of love and miracles will be diffused over the coming six months, and we may not get all the results we hope for right away. They will go deeper and last longer—we just need to be patient while they manifest. This eclipse ties in with events of last year’s Lunar Eclipse (12/31/09). Have you come full circle since then?
As the month opens, we’re still being squeezed like toothpaste from the tube courtesy of Mercury. It just went direct on December 29, and it’s still slow as January opens. It still has to make its third contact with the planets it touched off in December, and we have unfinished business related to this passage. This Mercury retrograde has profoundly reshaped our lives to reflect the inner reality we have been creating. Continue on your new path with courage and delight.
We’re in the completion side of most of the planetary cycles—Jupiter, Uranus, Chiron, and Neptune are near the end of their cycles with respect to the Sun, so we’ll be focused on getting to the finish line with their various processes. However, with Saturn, we are just getting to the heart of matters that began development on September 30. A big energetic shift took place then, a new doorway opened, and some of us chose to walk through, often without realizing it. That will affect what we experience now as Saturn slows, then begins its retrograde on January 25.
We’ll feel a huge shift of energy when Jupiter re-enters Aries on January 22. It was in Aries June 6 through September 8. The feel we had then returns to us now. In particular, the energies of late July-early August come back more fully formed, now tangible in our lives. This leads us to a choice point around January 27 regarding a possible major shift in direction or location. Doors of understanding open then that make the way forward clearer—very nice!
(Except as otherwise noted, all interpretations here are based on a natural chart, using the beginning of Aries as the ascendant, and times listed are Pacific Standard Time.
A “Void Moon” or “Void of Course Moon” (or “VOC moon” for short) makes no significant aspects until it enters the next sign. Its void period is thought to be a poor time for starting new projects or making concerted effort toward existing plans.
According to William Lilly, the Moon in Cancer (Moon’s rulership), Taurus (Moon’s exaltation), Sagittarius and Pisces (signs ruled by Jupiter, the Great Benefic) “performeth somewhat.” Lee Lehmann reports that she has tested this, and “you can take it to the bank.” Another way of putting how this works is that, when an action is taken during the void period in one of these signs, you get “unanswered success.” That is, the lack of planetary action prevents your action from being denied.
Maya’s rule of thumb was, “In making a close call, I look at the moon’s final aspect, just before it goes void of course. This shows how the situation will end up.”
Daily Astrological Forecast, January 2011
The first day of the year is easy to enjoy, with Moon in enthusiastic Sagittarius sextiling Saturn. We can push away thoughts of our “normal” life, just for today.
Life’s challenges are closer to the surface today, as we turn our thoughts to what’s next. The Moon finishes its travel through Sagittarius at 11:39 pm, beginning its still-useful void period at 7:28 pm. Tension increases, then releases in the evening after Moon squares Jupiter and Uranus. This can be felt as excitement, action, joy, or as anxiety, general tension, and agitation. Ride the wave! At 11:39 pm, Moon goes into crafty Capricorn, and we enter the energy field of Tuesday’s Solar Eclipse/New Moon.
We dive deep into unconscious waters today, as Moon encounters Pluto in Capricorn while also in its darkest (balsamic) phase, just before the New Moon. This is an especially potent time, where our thoughts and intentions are very powerful, because they will feed the Solar Eclipse that occurs simultaneously. We respond to an eclipse with action for the next six months, but the results of our actions are not complete before 18 months.
Today we witness a planetary extravaganza, with plenty of fireworks. It’s so much to pack into a day that we won’t know what happened in its entirety for some time. It’s a good day to write down a few notes about what you do to review after events have occurred. Moon picks up the planets aligned at mid-degrees (Sun, Saturn), while Venus attracts the energy of those planets in late degrees (Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter, Chiron) in very quick succession. The Partial New Moon/Solar Eclipse occurs very early, at 1:03 am/13°39′ Capricorn, and all the others are complete by 5:39 am, so you are “seeding” the rest of your life through your unconscious awareness if you live in the Western hemisphere.
This is the much-anticipated day of manifestation after nearly a year’s build-up of energy. However, because of the eclipse, the rewards may be temporarily submerged—”nearly there” or “almost visible”—coming forth in the next 18 months. Don’t be surprised if what you are hoping for will not be fully in your life on that day. Mars and Saturn contacts from the Moon assure us that we will be asked to participate actively in manifesting our dreams over the day.
In the chart cast for Washington DC, the emphasis is on the major economic transformation that the US is experiencing right now. This is not to be interpreted as a bad thing—it is for the overall good and health of the nation and the world. In the past, the US would use this type of energy as an excuse to engage in external conflict. Not only does this unite the people in contentious times, but it unites Congress under the bully pulpit of patriotism. If the US does not take this road now, it is a sign that the leadership is turning to other, healthier options that (we hope) will truly support economic balance.
The Sabian symbol for 14 Capricorn (the New Moon/Eclipse degree), is “A vast pile of Mayan ruins in tropical America discloses a perfectly preserved bas-relief carved in the granite.” (ME Jones version) This suggests the rediscovery of useful traditions at a time when we might benefit from recalling the ways that humans have dealt with catastrophes in the past.
The Moon triggers the “miracle midpoint tree” of Jupiter-Uranus + Venus, creating a minor grand trine over the day. The door is open for more blessings to manifest, and we can build the potential of the ones not yet ripe, by focusing positive energy into them today.
Moon in Aquarius trining Saturn boosts our confidence and productivity today.
At 4:31 am, Venus enters Sagittarius, after spending much of the time since early September in Scorpio due to her retrograde (the usual stay is one month per sign). This lifts our love from the depths to the heights, as we look to transcend our circumstances with this shift in energy. We get our first clues about how we need to stretch ourselves to grow this year—what new responsibilities we might benefit from—when Sun squares Saturn. This prepares us for Saturn’s retrograde, which starts on January 25.
The Moon is a minor participant, disconnected from Venus and Saturn in its position in Aquarius, but fostering creative and imaginative processes when it contacts Neptune, Chiron, and Mercury. The Moon goes void of course at 2:57 pm, giving us a time to relax before refiring up the skies at 6:57 pm when it enters passionate Pisces. She squares Venus across the evening to bring out the truth in our relationships and money matters.
Moon in Pisces links vision with deep understanding when it connects to Pluto by sextile early on. Enjoy a day without interfering forces.
Continuing in Pisces, Moon harmonizes with Sun and Mars to support our principled actions. Our hero’s journey continues!
Today is chock-a-block full of planetary events, featuring Moon and Mercury. These two great bodies help us integrate what we learn into our lives so that we don’t have to repeat the lessons. This is the Moon’s last conjunction with Jupiter before the giant enters Aries. It’s an opportunity to tune in to our vision of the future one more time before it begins to come forth in a new way. Moon and Mercury are in fact connecting us with all the planets in late degrees: Neptune, Uranus, Chiron, and Jupiter. Mercury jolts us alert with a square to Uranus, then repeats our experiences of November 25-27 and December 20-21. The Moon enters its still-useful void period at 3:12 am in Pisces, passing into activating Aries at 7:24 am. Its evening contact to Pluto takes us deep inside for new awareness.
Mercury drops the other shoe when it squares Jupiter to complete our work with the processes of November 25-27 and December 20-21. An opposition to Saturn gives us the feeling of autonomy to break away from situations that haven’t been working for us, if we want to.
We reach the First Quarter Moon at 3:31 am/21°54′ Aries on a positive note, as Mars sextiles Uranus and Jupiter to set a constructive tone to the coming week. New understanding that has come to us in the last few days makes it easy now to take action in one direction, without wondering so much if it’s the right one of many paths. In the coming week, all matters from the past two months will be resolved for the time being. If they are incomplete, they also carry energy from other planetary cycles that have yet to be fulfilled.
Miraculous events and growth curves continue to develop, moving toward the manifestation that we have been building for almost a year. These are building on the foundation of energy we laid at the time of the Solar Eclipse last week. At 6:47 pm, the Moon in Aries enters its brief void-of-course period, which ends at 7:37 pm as it moves into graceful Taurus.
In the chart cast for Washington DC, Pluto rises, suggesting that America’s image is going through a deep transformation, both within and outside the nation. Corporate interests overtly overshadow those of the people, even though they’ve been there beneath the surface for many decades. The awakening to what’s really happening continues around the globe.
The Sabian Symbol at 22 Aries is “A handsome grilled gateway opens to the garden of all fulfilled desires.” (ME Jones/D Rudhyar) This supports the energy of harvesting that accompanies last week’s Solar Eclipse, continuing our experience of Cosmic abundance.
At 3:25 am, Mercury re-enters Capricorn. Moon in Taurus brings us relief from the depths, and we know that whatever has been happening is occurring in the best possible form, after all. Mars supports our interests and activities by harmonizing with Jupiter. This brings positive outcomes from our experiences of November 29–December 3.
The Taurus Moon reaches its activating waxing trine to the Sun. In Earth signs, productivity is emphasized.
A scattershot of lunar contacts occurs before dawn to vivify our dreams, as the Moon in Taurus connects with the late-degree planets from yet another angle. Our new perspective shows us how to build on what we have manifested since last February, and it’s worth looking back to see how far we’ve come. The Moon enters its still-active void period at 4:47 am, until 5:23 am when it enters lively Gemini. Mars also enters a new sign today, Aquarius, at 2:41 pm. This changes the emphasis from pragmatism and slow constructive progress to high-minded, cause-driven actions that fulfill our ideals more than our needs. A late-night Moon opposition to Venus brings a piercing perspective to relationships.
Moon harmonies with Saturn make it easy to focus on and work toward our big plans.
The Gemini Moon hooks and lands the energies of the late-degree planets in the early hours of the day, going void on its square to Jupiter at 9:57 am. The brief void period ends at 11:29 am with its entry into its “home” sign, Cancer. New understandings arise when we encounter a new point of view in the afternoon and evening as Moon opposes Mercury and Pluto, just as they conjoin all at 9:45 pm/5°56′ Capricorn, the degree at which Mercury retrograded December 10. This is a particularly juicy deep dive into our inner world, a culmination and finalization of what we’ve accomplished since mid-November. We see how the gifts of the past year are playing out in our lives in ways we hadn’t considered when Sun makes its closing sextile to Uranus, and opens the door to three days of added blessings.
Under the Cancer Moon square Saturn, we feel pensive, perhaps regretful as we spend at least a few moments looking at what we gave up in order to move forward. Decisions involve letting go of something, and today we feel it, a good time to cleanse these feelings so we can move ahead without feeling burdened or pulled back.
Today at 1:21 pm/29°27′ Cancer, the Full Moon brings the short-term fulfillment of the seeds planted on the Solar Eclipse/New Moon of January 4. It carries much of the same energy as the New Moon, with trines to Uranus-Jupiter from the Moon to make sure more of those blessings slide gracefully into our lives. The Moon goes void at 1:26 pm, bringing us the potential of bankable benefits if we act, until she enters Leo at 2:16 pm. We feel energized, even irritated, in the evening, as Moon opposes Mars. The Sun’s sextile to Jupiter today completes a three-day “blessing bonus” that started with the sextile to Uranus.
In the chart cast for the Full Moon in Washington DC, good luck is in the news. Heroes’ tales reach us, and the real heroes are those who serve without recognition—the workers, soldiers, and everyday people who display quiet courage in the face of difficult conditions. Weather is one of the big stories. Although flood conditions continue in some areas, a dry week lies ahead for the eastern US.
At 30 Cancer, the Sabian Symbol depicts “A daughter of the American Revolution walks to the rostrum.” The value of tradition is debated and reevaluated, as we look back at the steps it has taken to gain freedom in any way, from national to gender to spiritual freedom. As we step into the realm where even the questions will be redefined, it is important to look to the past for the lessons learned so we don’t have to repeat them.
At 2:19 am, the Sun enters Aquarius to bring out the contrarian that lurks inside us all. If we’re a little more cantankerous or curmudgeonly than usual, having a good laugh at ourselves is the Aquarian way. The Moon continues through Leo, harmonizing Venus and Saturn along the way to create a minor grand trine (apex Saturn). We’ll feel stable and secure in our relationships today, and a good time to take a risk, since peaceful feelings lead to better outcomes.
Residual areas of wounding may come to the surface today as Moon opposes Neptune and Chiron, a doorway to healing if we redirect the energy that is released. The Moon enters its void-of-course period at 1:16 pm to give us some down time to assimilate our experiences, entering Virgo, the sign of Cosmic Quality Control, at 3:10 pm.
The Virgo Moon helps us play out the resolution of our deepest problems through our dreams when it trines Pluto in the wee hours. Across the day, she enhances communications and adjustments in relationships by trining Mercury and squaring Venus. At 9:11 am, Jupiter makes its re-entry into Aries. The last time it was in Aries was June 6–September 7. Now it completes its stay in Aries, augmenting our courage and pioneering spirit. We’re doing something completely new now—something we have no prior knowledge of. With “beginner’s mind,” we will experience beginner’s luck.
We have been laying new relationship foundations since January 7; now we finalize that focus so we can move to the next phase, as Venus makes it to its sextile to Saturn. Moon in Virgo takes us into its void period at 12:08 pm with the splash of an opposition to Uranus, so don’t write off anyone or anything yet. At 3:59 pm, she enters peace-keeping Libra, revealing our new relationship truths when she opposes Jupiter, her first contact to Jupiter since the giant entered Aries. A trine to the Sun soothes us, helps us integrate this new perspective, and fosters success in any actions we take.
As the Moon traverses Libra over the day, we survey our current situation from many perspectives. We start in the wee hours with Pluto taking us into the deepest corners of our unconscious mind, which we may take into a very active dream state as Mars is triggered. We’ll be focused on structure and organization as the day progresses through contacts to Mercury, Saturn, and Venus.
We get another take on our healing process as Libra Moon harmonizes with Neptune and Chiron before its void period starts at 4:42 pm. We’ll mostly be feeling the pressure of responsibility and the urge to get with the program as Saturn begins its retrograde period at 10:11 pm. This gives us until June 12 to build new structures in our lives. The Moon enters investigative Scorpio at 6:15 pm.
Mercury reaches its square to Saturn early, making us aware of areas of weakness due to disorganization. This feeds into our process of the next five months, as Saturn begins its retrograde transit. More immediately, it becomes part of our process over the coming week (as does the Saturn station), with the Last Quarter Moon phase occurring at 4:57 am/6°36′ Scorpio. Noteworthy on this lunation is the fact that the Sun, Moon, and Pluto are all at the same degree (6°13′) of their respective sign. This affords us the opportunity to act more effectively, with a deeper sense of purpose than usual, in the coming week. There is a drive to get a lot done now, and we will be able to accomplish much, but more in the social department than in tangible areas.
In Washington DC, the chart has 18 Aquarius rising, tying itself to Saturn and Mercury by exact degree. This chart suggests hidden use of force (military or police action) that is really an open secret. There is a strong drive, with Jupiter and the Nodes in partile contact, to take a position instead of look for compromise. This will be felt and expressed throughout the government system. More secrets are about to come out.
The Sabian Symbol at 7 Scorpio is "Deep sea divers with special machinery." This suggests being able to go more deeply than usual into the ordinarily hidden recesses of consciousness because we are specially prepared at this time. Deep sea activities are likely to be in the news.
Scorpio Moon brings new understanding through our dreams that we can use in the coming days to guide our actions, even though we are unaware of it. We reach more deeply than usual to find confidence in the face of doubt, successfully transmuting it to light. The Moon is void of course from 9:32 pm, until it goes into Sagittarius at 10:55 pm.
The Sagittarius Moon finds a harmonious sky all day through a trine to Jupiter and sextiles to Sun and Mars to create another minor grand trine, heading into a cradle configuration when Saturn is brought into the mix. Think of this as a pot for melting the ore of consciousness to create the gold of our intentions.
We continue a sublime creative process today as the Sagittarius Moon sextiles Saturn early and conjoins Venus late.
Before we wake, the Moon completes its sojourn through Sagittarius, going into its void period at 4:54 am, which lasts until it enters Capricorn at 6:04 am. The energies become more strident and tension-ridden as the Moon squares Jupiter, carrying expansive self-expression to the deep penetrating focus fostered through its conjunction with Pluto. This can be experienced as a bold action which we later realize has more consequences than we paid attention to at the time. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong, only that we may feel a bit awkward about it.
Moon continues in Capricorn, squaring Saturn to help us understand how we need to tweak our plans to deal with what’s next.
For more than 20 years, Terry Lamb (M.A. Linguistics, UC San Diego; C.A. NCGR, EEMCP) has been helping people to understand how cycles and energies work and interact in their lives. She augments her astrological acumen with energy medicine, Yijing (Chinese Book of Change), cosmology, psychology, and a broad range of health and spiritual studies.
Terry is among the nation’s most knowledgeable, insightful, and engaging astrologers. With pragmatic optimism and compassion, Terry’s approach has helped clients and students find their own way to “walk among the stars”. She is dedicated to using astrology as a way to create our future and free ourselves from “fate”. She goes along with Abraham Lincoln, who said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Her unique approach to astrology can be learned through her home study and apprenticeship programs (contact her directly).
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