January is named for the Roman god Janus, whose two faces look in opposite directions, representing endings and beginnings. And though the calendar on the wall would portray 2015 as an entirely new cycle, astrologically we are still working on things previously begun.
Not that we can’t expect progress. But it’s not all straightforward pushing up the mountain, like the Sun in Capricorn would have us do.
Perhaps our greatest progress will take place as we hold to a delicate balance of action in the world and attention to the needs and gifts of our deepest being.
As the month begins, we are still in waxing cycle that began with the New Moon of Winter Solstice. The Christmas tree is one of this portal’s most ancient symbols. Perennial foliage was seen, in ancestral traditions, as an incarnation of the hero spirit that also reappeared each year in the newborn Sun.
According to the ancient Mexica pagan calendar, we are still in the sign of Panquetzalitzli, a 20-day period that begins on December 17, whose name translates as “The raising of the banners”. The latter were strips of bark paper that people hung on tree branches to connect their intentions—what we call New Year’s goals—with the heroic power of the winter forest.
The tree, deepening its roots as it grows toward the light, serves as a good metaphor for this month’s influences.
The light we reach toward is the freedom that in some way or another has concerned us for the past three years, since Uranus in Aries, sign of the fighter, has been squaring Pluto, planet of power, in Capricorn, guardian of traditions. Although the planet of freedom will sometimes shake off the old just because it’s there, Aries has a mission: to reaffirm its identity. This purpose is empowered by the transit of Eris, the cosmic questioner, in the sign of the ram, which is now conjunct Uranus and in trine to Jupiter, another planet of liberation.
Now for the roots. [Remainder of article available to Premium subscribers. Subscribe now!]
Crystal Pallas Pomeroy, Maya’s daughter and astrological protégé, offers in-depth astrological consultations from her home in Mexico, in person or via Skype. She is a noted author as well as a regular radio and television commentator on esoteric topics, and leads a spiritual and healing ministry in Mexico City. Crystal offers workshops on astrology, the sacred feminine, indigenous spirituality, and the goddess in beautiful locations throughout Mexico. Her book Angels & Goddesses (Llewellyn, Spring 2022) is available now. Reach Crystal by email here.
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