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by Nina Bouska There are fewer outstanding events this month than in the past few months. One biggie—Pluto enters Capricorn, on January 25, for the first time since 1778. It will be in Capricorn until 2024, and sooner or later we’ll all notice the difference. Pluto’s transits last so long that they mark generational characteristics, and bring changes that may not become apparent until years later. By mid-month we enter the shadow of another Mercury retrograde period, January 28 to February 18. We’re still experiencing the undertones and/or overtones of the long-lasting oppositions of Mars and Pluto, and of Saturn and Uranus. These influences set the scene for everything that occurs during much of the year. Mars and Pluto both have macho, action-oriented, get-right-into-it natures and when the two team up, on whatever level, it’s a time to be careful. Tempers flare, accidents happen. Little things can be blown up all out of proportion. This gets more apparent after Mars turns direct January 30. Saturn and Uranus are polar opposites. Saturn once marked the boundaries of all that we knew and accepted as right and proper. Then Uranus came along, and insisted on new, never-before-imagined ways of doing things. Now we honor both. But as they challenge each other across the playing field, we’re faced with making the decisions about which side we want to cheer for.(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 Daylight Time. A Void
of Course Moon 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.) Happy New Year! It seems to be off to a good start. An easy grand trine links Moon and Mars to Neptune, so we can put energy into our dreams and vision into our aspirations. Saturn is keeping a wary eye on gregarious Jupiter, egocentric Sun and witty Mercury as they’re all cavorting in his house (Capricorn), so we can all be on our best behavior. Moon goes void at 4:33 this afternoon, then sidles into Scorpio, at 5:32. The evening may be livelier. It’s still mellow, although Mars makes its exact opposition to Pluto at 1:28 pm. That’s an omnipresent aspect that has been coloring our world—the entire world—for several months now, and will for the next couple of years. Expect warlike tensions and record homicide rates to remain high. Remember that we all have the capability to avoid letting vague impulses toward hostility affect our personal lives. A ready sense of humor can defuse the most volatile situations. We awaken feeling restless, eager to do something even if we don’t know just what. The brainfog gets worse as the day goes on, with Moon squaring Neptune so no one seems to be able to express themselves clearly, and most certainly not succinctly. It gets better late afternoon and evening as Moon sextiles Mercury and goes void at 4:30 pm. Iowa’s ballots today add new frenzy to the race toward presidential nominations and the aspects look like we can expect confusion about the early results. Moon enters Sagittarius at 6:13 am, so we can aim high but otherwise coast through the day. She comes together with Venus this evening, which should make for an enjoyable, perhaps very sociable, evening. Moon meets up with Juno, who is always quick to recognize when someone or something has been slighted, even when it takes a stretch of the imagination to make that point. The two of them glom onto the itch engendered by the ongoing opposition of Saturn and Uranus, once again bringing to mind the need for changes in our lives and the difficulty of making decisions about change—and/or commitments thereto. There may be a lot going on today, but for many of us it may be mostly subliminal. Not much is clear-cut, or even apparent. Our physical selves go about doing the same old things in the same old familiar ways but our psyches are on a trip of their own, and are pretty chary about handing out clues. There’s probably nothing really wrong, if we play it cool, but we may feel picked on and unloved nonetheless. Late afternoon could be a good time for giving your pillow a few good punches just for the helluvit. Moon goes void on a conjunction to Pluto at 4:27, then calms as she enters Capricorn at 5:43. A buckle-down-and-get-on-with-it day. Common sense prevails and our outlook becomes downright optimistic. Venus in Sag can see the bright side of things, even when squared by Saturn and Neptune. Moon in Capricorn considers emotionality a waste of energy. Grab the opportunity to be productive. Mercury slips into Aquarius this evening, 8:46 PDT. The rest of the month may be host to some unusual, offbeat ideas. New Moon early this morning, 3:37 am on the west coast. And Moon goes Void of Course on its conjunction to the Sun then, so the sense of newness permeates the entire day. It’s apparent now that the days are lengthening and a subliminal awareness of rebirth and revitalization adds alacrity to our aspirations. We’re eager to get on with it. Venus sits at a midway point on the opposition of Saturn and Uranus, trying to find compromise between the comforting familiarity of traditional behaviors and the need to charge into a new and innovative future. Venus is hanging out with Juno in this chart, duly noting the needs of hearth and home while gathering some shrewd insights on breakaway tactics from Pallas, who’s hovering a square away near Uranus. Vesta and Ceres are pulled into a conference call, by a sextile and a quincunx, to remind us of where our vested interests lie and where we must be concerned about the future affects of any action on our progeny. While the yin energies of the asteroids may seem subtle, or certainly less than obvious, they form a web of liaisons that can offer strong support—or a trap. Depends on how we use it. These are clues for forging our agendas and aspirations for the coming month. When faced with an either-or situation, careful analysis will usually show a possibility for stirring a little of each into the pot and coming up with a new recipe. For our nation, it’s a triple Capricorn chart, with Sun, Moon and Ascendant all in Capricorn, so a sober-sides attitude with a no-nonsense approach is called for during the coming month. A turn in the nature of the presidential election campaign becomes noticeable now and it becomes both more pragmatic and more down-and-dirty. Pluto and Jupiter bracket the ascendant, with Mars across the chart nearing the descendant. We may be called on to brandish our power position and the prominence of jurisprudence and ethics in the face of some saber-rattling from the Middle East, where Mars falls on the ascendant in Iran. That Mars-Pluto face-off isn’t going to go away soon, but it’s fairly impotent now with Mars retrograde. We must not take seriously any talk of the “threat” to our security posed by any other country at this time. No retaliatory action is needed, nor justified. Mercury, newly into Aquarius where the value of all points of view can gain equal status, is essentially unaspected, both keeping it out of the limelight and offering it special power to exercise rational intellect unhampered by the demands of partnerships. Mercury in Aquarius takes on some of the venturesome traits of Uranus and the thinking that evolves may range from merely oddball to bizarre. We may see the results in political ads (not to mention the usual commercials) and pronouncements. There may be a new round of noise emanating from Venezuela, where Mercury sits on the ascendant in this chart. But it’s doubtful that there is much of significance. The Sabian symbol for the New Moon at 18° Capricorn: The Union Jack flies from a British warship; The protection afforded to individuals and groups by powerful institutions in charge of maintaining order. Rudhyar says: “Power is required to maintain social order and relatively peaceful interpersonal as well as international relationships. Alas, this power can be easily misused under the pretext of preserving ‘law and order’.” Where this symbol occurs, he says, “it may be a warning against using power for selfish advantage.” Venus is still haranguing the Saturn-Uranus conundrum—do we prefer the way it’s always been, or do we want to indulge our hankering for something new? The Venus mantra could be “I want, I want,” and today she seems to truly want everything. Is compromise possible? Moon joins up with Mercury to get our gray cells working. Have we thought of all the options? Which just “feels right”? Moon is linked with Venus all day, in a sextile full of opportunity. The tricky thing about opportunity is that you have to be able to recognize it—sometimes it comes in very convincing disguise. Tonight, Moon slides across in front of Neptune, the master of disguise, blocking his rays from reaching us. So pay attention! And make notes of the ideas you have now. Even if they don’t make sense at the moment. We awaken feeling energized. We seem able to see behind surface appearances and understand events around us in terms of what is intended or important, rather than being swayed by superficial mannerisms. That’s probably because Moon is happily allied with Pluto when she goes void, at 9:52 am PDT, and carries those probing inclinations into her early tenure in Pisces (beginning at 10:44). Her next aspect is a hopeful sextile to Jupiter, so she’s on a roll all day. Moon glances across the chart at sedate old Saturn first thing this morning, then meets up with Pallas to get the gossip from Juno and Venus. Those gals are planning to corral the inventive genius of Uranus and stir up a bit of excitement, for better or for worse—mostly just for the excitement. What they’re probably not seeing is that Neptune is working his wily ways on the whole scheme, painting deceptive pictures of desires and actions. Why am I telling you this? Because every one of them is a part of every one of us. Message: Watch your step. Try to make sure it’s still going to seem like a good idea tomorrow, or next week, or next year. A good day for sleeping in. At least a little bit. We can be pretty effective by mid-day. And by the time Moon squares Pluto and goes void at 3:41 pm, we should be digging into ways of making some of those New Year’s resolutions real goals, or at least objectives. Mercury is fading from a quincunx to Saturn, which suggests that we probably need to modify the way we originally set all out those lofty ideas. Moon starts a new cycle around the chart when she enters Aries at 4:23 pm PST. Sometimes Moon in Aries can make it seem like everyone is thinking only of themselves. Break the mold. This is a period of time when each of us, in little ways, needs to be exploring new ways of living our lives, new ways of discovering the mini-adventures that are offered to us (and the extraordinary value of mini-adventures). This may be especially true for those of us who were born with Moon in Aries. Today, don’t tell anyone what you did or what you think. Ask questions. Moon square Jupiter is offering some far-reaching answers. Moon is busy as she makes her way
to the First Quarter Moon square at 11:46 am PDT. On her way to a trine with Venus, she hooks into almost all the asteroids,
gracing the day with overtones of caring feminine vibes, nudging everyone
to be far more helpful than assertive. Her sextiles
to Chiron and Neptune afford a particularly healing aspect to the
cooperative alignment of the graces, and some nice things could happen. Neptune trines Mars from the ninth; we can’t trust what we’re hearing from Washington. Sun quincunxes Mars from the eighth, so financial matters are still a major concern and our approach(es) to dealing with debt and spending need considerable adjustment. Moon in the eleventh house in Aries is conjunct Eris, which was discovered only in 2005 and named a dwarf planet when Pluto was demoted to that status in August of 2006. Eris was named for the Greek goddess of strife and discord, but it’s the sort of tension that comes from striving and competitiveness rather than broad-based aggressiveness. She also embodies the kind of jealousy roused in an uninvited guest or an insecure step-parent. Here, the Moon-Eris square to the Sun underscores the potential of discarding all efforts to keep up appearances as primary means of getting the budget under control. Their trines to Jupiter and Pluto urge us instead to nurture the compassion of friends and lean on the wise counsel of those who have already been through the battle. Our country is not the first to face economic crisis and survive it. (Nor or we as individuals). Never-conventional Uranus in the tenth epitomizes our leadership and its eccentric if shrewd (conjunct Pallas) maneuverings to garner personal power. The doomed and dangerous policies become ever more obvious and seem ever more ludicrous and ill-intentioned. The ballast of Saturn in the fourth house, tying in Sun and Moon with sesquiquadrates, underscores the power of the people and our constitutional mode of government to right these wrongs. We just have to do it. We need to make the effort to speak out, by phone or email or snail mail or marching in the streets to insist that our government focuses on our needs and our wishes. It’s time to make it clear that those overpaid CEOs and military- industrial advisers have had their day. The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 26° Aries: A man possessed
by more gifts than he can hold; obsession by potentiality. “The
mind which finds itself confronted with a totally unfamiliar and as
yet unexperienced type of potency finds it difficult at first to adjust
to its new world of perception and possibilities of action,” writes
Rudhyar. But it’s an easy wealth to get used to. Moon goes void on its cooperative trine with Pluto, good for digging into the meat of things, at 7:39 and moves on into Taurus at 8:13 pm PDT. Moon is inclined today to draw on the wisdom of the elders, Jupiter and Saturn, to make the most of her stay in Taurus, where making ideas become reality has a foremost intensity. Taurus believes in what can be validated by the senses—we can see it, feel it, taste it... and recognizes that years of experience can bring a concept to a level where it becomes possible. Whichever side of the generation gap we may find ourselves on, this is a good day to reach across the divide. Moon opposes Uranus and squares Neptune this morning, recalling their tense oppositions to reality-based Saturn—the disparities between what we’d like to see happening and what is feasible. The dreams and fantasies have been pretty much closeted by now, but we’re driven ever more toward new ways of doing things. It can seem a bit crazy-making on days like today. Moon goes void at 9:05 pm PDT. A relatively quiet day, at least astrologically. Moon enters Gemini at 1:30 am, and spends most of the day in a quincunx to Jupiter that could have us wondering about the meaning of it all, at least everything visibly around us if not the greater essences. This can be a boon for helping us to get organized, so take the opportunity to catch up on some filing and sorting—and discarding. Where do we get all this stuff? Tiger by the tail today, and we’re intent on getting something done—finished, completed, kaputo. Maybe all that tidying we started yesterday. Maybe stamping “The End” on a habit, a relationship, an irrelevant worry. Maybe just a goodbye to the doldrums we haven’t yet been able to shake this year. Whatever. It’s clearing out time, and by evening, as Moon shuts out the light from Mars just before Venus opposes him, it’s all feeling pretty good. A brief Void of Course Moon, from 2:46 am to 3:05 when she enters Cancer, starts the day. Then Sun enters Aquarius at 8:44 am PDT, offering us a more expansive view of possibilities. We’re a bit pulled by indecision and a host of fleeting “what if” insecurities, but that should settle by late afternoon. Moon’s void all day, from 5:56 am when she trines Uranus—an unsettling aspect to carry through a whole day. We long to be somewhere else, doing something else, maybe being someone else. The teaming up of Jupiter and Saturn makes restrictions seem heavier than they actually are—Jupiter in Capricorn can take things much too seriously and Moon in Cancer is overly sensitive. Moon eases into Leo at 5:20 am, and becomes a Full Moon just a bit later, at 8:35 am. It’s the major aspect of the day, shedding light on a lot of accumulated bits and pieces. Venus is moving in on Pluto, which can always make us feel a bit compulsive and needy. The big news is the conjunction of Mercury and Neptune, and that can leave us either fuzzy-headed or inspired. In the chart set for Washington DC, the Mercury-Neptune duo is highlighted by being the only angular placement, a mere four degrees above the ascendant in Aquarius. This could be a nefarious nesting in the twelfth house of secrets, and could indicate ideas that are downright delusional. Again, we need to keep an eye on our elected representatives. An as yet little-used asteroid, Pholus, sits on the midheaven in this chart. Pholus is credited with the “vague precognitions” or hunches that can lead to the opening up of new possibilities and eventually to concrete results. Interesting data about Pholus is offered in Wikipedia, which suggests among other things looking to “the influence of ancestors, as well as issues and gripes to be taken up with ancestors, and one's relationship to predecessors of any kind. Pholus, in this respect, addresses issues that belong to the entire tribe, collective psychological property, and group responses to situations.” The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 2° Cancer: A man on a magic carpet hovers over a large area of land; the ability to expand one’s consciousness by stabilizing one’s point of view at a higher level. “The mind can raise its point of observation and see reality in a truer perspective,” say Rudhyar. It’s as simple as considering how any given action will affect an entire community, or an entire generation, or future generations rather than merely its effects on oneself. The chart patterns form a big red “X” on today, as Moon opposes the tightening conjunction of Mercury and Neptune, and the opposition of Mars and Pluto continues to hold center stage in a natural chart. It’s a cosmic warning that this is a time to keep our awareness in top form, Today marks the focal point of a period of time when we need to recognize that any action, our own or others’, can have far-reaching ramifications beyond what is immediately apparent. Venus joins Pluto, then moves into Capricorn, and we really want to make some changes. Rearrange. Make our workspace more efficient. Get down to brass tacks. Enough of this dilly-dallying! Moon is Void of Course for only a few minutes, 9:43 to 9:48 am, and moves into Virgo so we can really get into it. More of same today. Let’s reaffirm our commitment to a sensible diet. Reinstitute our exercise plans. Aim for a brighter future with invigorated resolve. This is a big day! Pluto moves into Capricorn, at 10:44 pm tonight, for the first time in 250 years. (Although it’s merely a toe testing the waters; the Big Guy hangs around in 0° until June, then retrogrades back into Sag and doesn’t move on into Capricorn for good until the end of November.) Much has been written already about the probable meanings of Pluto in Capricorn, with more to come. Both Jessica Murray and Boots Hart have insightful columns on this subject available in Daykeeper Journal archives. In many ways, we’re going to find it a relief as the unfettered abandon of Sagittarian ways have become irksome during Pluto’s dozen years there. In other ways, it’s not apt to feel good, as Pluto takes on the Capricornian nature of purposeful structure and intentional discipline. It’s an important transit for our nation. Pluto had been in Capricorn 14 years when the Declaration of Independence was signed—the time of that signing is used as a birth chart for the U.S.A. Those had been years of dissension and social unrest, here and abroad. Like the colonists in America, in many lands the oppressed were rearing up to depose their despotic leaders. (But, looking back into the thousands of years of recorded human history, I can only conclude that humans are really slow learners! The oppressed become the oppressors, and the beat goes on.) So, when Pluto reaches 27° in 2022, our nation will be experiencing a Pluto Return, which could be a lot more memorable than the fabled Saturn Return. In the U.S. chart, Pluto is in the second house, the house that denotes our value systems, our resources and finances, our abilities to make things grow to sustain our lives. An unquestionably important arena. We have already started seeing (there are no hard lines in the Universe—the transit from one sign to another is a melding) the value systems of our nation exposed in gritty detail, and the dreadful disparities between our avowed intentions and our actual behavior. This is definitely a Pluto in Capricorn manifestation. In individual lives, those born late in the months of December, March, June and September are probably soon headed for some rough waters—Pluto will conjunct, square or oppose your Sun. A significant Pluto transit always seems to take the sum total of our past experience and wreak it into new rules for living, and that may be especially true with Pluto in Capricorn where rules are the order of the day. For most people, a Pluto transit is not easy. But I have yet to see a case where, in the long run, it did not work out for the better. The problem is that it takes a long, long time—a time period that can seem much longer than it actually is. If you happen to be among those in Pluto’s sights now, my only advice is to go with the flow, make the changes willingly and as rapidly as possible. It’s fighting the inevitable that becomes most painful. I’ve had clients who’ve weathered a big Pluto transit virtually scot-free, and they were the ones who slid into changes easily and naturally. Another Void of Course Moon day. She goes out of aspect on a chompin’-at-the-bit square to Mars at 6:32 am, and doesn’t reach Libra until 5:35 this afternoon. We can just feel restless and ill-at-ease, or we can grab the energy and run with it. Literally run. Or put some muscle into productive endeavors. Not new long-range projects, not on a void Moon. More like clean-up and getting ready. Making things look more appealing. Comfy trines dominate today’s chart—Sun and Moon, Mercury-Neptune to Mars, Venus-Jupiter-Pluto to Saturn. We can relax a bit and float with whatever’s going on. It’s a good day for pleasant get-togethers with friends, or if the time is right, with a romantic partner. The chart’s built a grand trine today with Moon moving in to connect to Mercury-Neptune and Mars, so it’s a “more of a good thing” day and we’re feeling pretty mellow. We may be especially tuned in to what’s going on around us today and notice inconsistencies in what we’re being told. Mercury turns retrograde today, at 3:31 pm, so set your plans for the next couple of weeks for simply finishing up ongoing projects rather than starting new ones. Moon goes void at 4:48 pm. Moon enters Scorpio at 4:35 am, striking up opportunity-laden sextiles with Pluto, Venus and Saturn. Then Venus trines Saturn. Keep your eyes open and your wits about you today, to catch any subliminal messages that come your way. It’s not merely that you must remember that opportunity knocks but once, but also that it can be incredibly subtle. The Last Quarter Moon is exact
at three minutes after midnight. But the big news
today is that Mars turns direct. We may not notice it immediately,
but the halcyon overtones are fading fast. Some years ago a theory called Management by Objectives was all the vogue in business circles, and its basic principles remain sound. In essence, the theory is to first name a goal, then identify a dozen (more or less) intermediate objectives to master in order to get you there. With Mars newly turned direct, this is a good time to set out such a plan. Now is a time to evaluate how well we are doing in aiming for our personal and societal goals, and initiate the steps that will improve our efforts. Venus is exactly trine Saturn today, and our wants, wishes and desires have become very focused and very real to us. We’re ready to be sensible about it all now. And as Venus closes in on Jupiter, we’re feeling quite optimistic about the end result. It may be much different that what we’d originally envisioned, but it feels good. That all carries over into the national chart. The over-reaching Sun, symbol of our leader, is battened down now, graced by only minor aspects of adjustment, in the thrall of the military and the people, chastened by the statesmen. Moon is rising—the people are making their voices heard and both our president and They Who Would Be President are paying attention. Moon gains strength to forge plans for a brighter future from Ceres, across the chart, who knows that periods of darkness, while perhaps necessary, are always followed by periods of light and growth. The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 10° Scorpio: A fellowship supper reunites old comrades; the overtones of human relationships based on a community of work or experiences. Rudhyar says, “The social feeling of communion, plus all that it engenders, arises after the act performed together.” In other words, don’t wait for someone else to take the lead in making statements and expressing opinions that can help mold our society; those who make similar efforts will be drawn together to form a community of support and friendship. The symbol for the Sun at 10° Aquarius: A man who had for a time become the embodiment of a popular ideal is made to realize that as a person he is not this ideal; the need to deal with human beings as persons rather than as screens upon which one projects one’s dream and ideal. “This can mean a critical need for self-revaluation,” says Rudhyar. We learn as children to look for heroes or “stars” to live out our dreams; now we need to learn that the only functional heroes and stars are ourselves. And we can do whatever is necessary. Moon goes Void of Course at 3:34 am, and doesn’t make it into Sagittarius until 5:08 pm. Her square to Mercury haunts the whole day and we’re distressingly aware that a whole month has flown by already—and there was so much we intended to have done by now. With Mercury still conjunct Neptune, it’s hard to get a fix on where to start and the ideas we have may be too fanciful. Don’t despair. It will be better by Monday.
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© Copyright 2000-2008
Nina Bouska, Daykeeper Journal. |
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