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by Boots Hart While Sun in Capricorn is always a self-directed time (even for those headed in the wrong direction!), with Mars retrograde now promoting much finger-pointing energy (which might better be invested in self-examination), the Solar Eclipse of January 15 tells us that January is a month of evolutionary trial on every level. And not just for some, but for everyone: for every entity personal, professional, organizational, national, religious, theoretical, factual—you name it. Much involved here took root and sprouted as Mars went retrograde on December 20, leading into the Cancer Lunar Eclipse of December 31. But those were basically impetus markers, a dose of reality inserted into the works so as to motivate us to begin looking within (not without) for many, if not most, of our answers. Once New Year’s Eve has played out, with Saturn in Libra opposing Juno (both square Pluto in Capricorn) on New Year's Day, the year begins with a question: can we can get past our own desires—to have what we want and only what we want without having to be responsible for any of the things we don’t want? The Juno at 4 Aries part of this paradigm is the “I” (Aries) my-ness of it all: my situation, my understanding, my preferences, position, abilities…along with what am I up for making of myself? Is my priority purely me—or am I all about others? Or am I all about others because that pleases me? Or maybe even whether I am about me or others, am I doing that in order not to have to face who I am and the state of my life? Or my world? At one level this is truly simple stuff. At another, it’s hideously complex, asking whether our satisfaction is about who we choose to associate with. Do we consistently associate with people who disappoint us? Or just agree with us? Or just give in to us? If so, what do any of these really (I mean really) say about you? With Saturn opposing Juno from Libra, our relationships and who we choose to pull close, push away, ally ourselves with and critique, help or ostracize are now poised as poignant commentaries on us. On how we are or aren’t our better Selves. But this isn’t all. Pluto’s position in early Capricorn creates a formation known as a t-square—one of the most dynamic figures in all astrology. It’s a bear to get past but is also the signature of great and lasting achievement. The question posed here is how to get where you really want to go, and having to understand who you really are in order to get there, as nothing else will work. Being that we’re talking Capricorn, such matters are likely to be about both our inner and outer worlds: what "supports" us, and who we’re bringing to the table. And with the signator here being Pluto, change and elimination are the bywords. Pluto in structural Capricorn equals changing THE world and/or YOUR world. So check your priorities. Do you have it straight in the what-leads-to-what department? We all see basic structures which need changing—in our lives, in our world, in how we do or even in what we do. So what’s your priority? It shouldn’t be what you want—it should be what works to make everything else happen more easily—that’s the Pluto/Saturn square. And humoring the slackers won’t get you where you want to go—particularly if the slacker is you! You may need to learn something now. This dynamic supports those willing to take on the responsible task of learning, recognizing that priorities are Big Picture first then the filling in of details. With Saturn is closing in on its direct-to-retrograde station, the first few days of January are primed for those ready to get a few things done. Or for those ready to overcome inertia. For those who take advantage of this moment (or who perhaps are already into some growth-oriented process) Saturn’s station on January 13 at 4 Libra brings a literal "turning point" in dynamics—maybe even in life. And while the message of 4 Libra message could be called seeing the light, your ability to tolerate that light depends on whether you have brought yourself to a place where you are ready and willing to not merely see, but to experience and utilize new information, tools and opportunities, along with which come new responsibilities, challenges and power. That this whole moment is capable of inciting awe, delight, trepidation, or even resistance is typified by asteroids Medusa, Klotho and Byblis all bound together in early Aquarius. The suggestion? A daunting challenge. One which requires that we go beyond the comfortable and known. And more than that. This moment is merely the start of a three-year process indicated by the January 15 Solar Eclipse at 25 Capricorn—a classic indication that we and our world are just beginning to face repercussions of deeds and choices past which now indicate needs to restructure. The potential for self-limitation through rigidity or fear runs high at the moment… And yet, though solar eclipses often mark a moment of apparent defeat, loss or downfall, no matter how important we think that person, situation, relationship or belief was, deep down inside—when we think about it honestly—we know our (pre)occupation with whatever that was has actually kept us from becoming the person we have long known we are really supposed to be. In fact, often whatever is "lost" at such a moment leaves us no option but to move towards doing that which we really know we should have been focusing on all along. But it’s going to take time to get there—and that’s what the three years is about. Moreover, don’t assume you’re going to have any sort of initial clarity. Beginning in the metaphorical "dark" of the eclipse, such evolutions are notorious for not revealing their greater purpose until most of the three-year swath is well over and duly dealt with. We do have some additional "hints" about the nature of this particular eclipse, however. With Mercury going direct at 5 Capricorn on January 15—only some nine hours after the eclipse, in conjunction with Pluto (transformation), Scheherazade (salvation earned through clever inspiring of others), Orpheus (use of talents for purpose, not whim) and Tantalus (dealing with temptation)—the theme of harnessing one’s abilities with honor, perhaps instead of preference, seems thematic. The indicator (the transiting planet) is Mercury, symbol of thought, choice, communication and the taking of ideas from inception into workable/working format. This suggests a change of heart, mind or attitude towards something, someone, or just possibly the choices upon which we have built or hindered some current situation. Given this station’s symbiotic amalgamation with the eclipse and the message for 25 Capricorn (the finding of something previously hidden), questions of our own "shadow self" and all the unexposed, unexplored and thus, under-utilized facets are likely to now be asked. And maybe answered? Yes, maybe indeed, as come January 18, Jupiter enters Pisces in the company of the Moon and asteroid Industria. Moon/Industria is all about endeavors which require effort. With the Pisces touch this may surface in emotions, spiritual issues, neediness of any physical kind, or matters which pertain to abandonment of self, by society…with all the questions being asked eventually coming back to center on a lack of realism and one’s ability to accept rather than reject, deny or judge. A sign of many meanings, Pisces is always about being torn between what is easy and what may involve emotional risk. Known as a sign of spirituality, in the Piscean sense the word "spiritual" is entirely and eternally about you and your ability to deal with any given concept. So if you’re someone who is terribly uncomfortable with responsibility—that's your Pisces challenge. If you're uncomfortable with faith and fantasy and things which cannot be proven or demonstrated—that's your Pisces challenge. Pisces challenges extend from the kind of escapism that lands us in jails, mental wards or monasteries, to the artistic challenge of knowing the worth of our work, to the capitalistic challenge of knowing what we can charge for medical services against what we should charge, because to do otherwise is to condemn people to suffering or death. For some, Pisces is all about an intimacy with self; for some it's the fear of intimacy or perhaps just simple honesty with others. In all things, it's our discomfort which is the challenge—and the minute we proclaim a "right" or "wrong," we’ve defeated our own purpose. Commonly spoken of as "knowledge," Jupiter is any process we go through in physical, mental or experiential growth. As sole ruler of Sagittarius, Jupiter reigns over the "seeing how/whether things work" (or get us where we want to go), based on the ideas and choices we made to commit ourselves to this or that under the Mercury (thought/idea) ruled Gemini polarity. Jupiter can symbolize both the realization of how things work, and how they don’t work—just as it can symbolize the know-it-all as easily as the teacher; the fair-minded judge, researcher or philosopher as easily as a dictator or fundamentalist proselytizer—or indicate foresight, fulfillment and abundance against over-burdening, excess, selfishness, blindness, oppression, inundation, greed, even obesity. Through its association with Sagittarius (where Jupiter is the sole ruler), Jupiter brings a fiery (inspired, imaginative) quality to Pisces, where it stands for the generative energy of all things which can be imagined or intuited through the emotional water sign lens, with ego-denying Neptune defining the outcome. When our emotions are free(d) of fear and egotism, they work well, and the Neptunian result tends towards bliss. When they aren’t, we suffer defeats of the "disillusioned" kind. The separator here is altruism and faith, which is tricky; as soon as you’re "sure" you know how to "do it" right, that’s an egotistical statement of "owning the truth" which again leads you towards personal difficulty. With an orbital period of 11.86 years, Jupiter in Pisces is often spoken of as "universality" without much emphasis on honor as a moral function of self. This is a bit of a problem, as the need to maintain an inner focus while accepting others for who they are and that their inner processes don’t work like yours is tough at any moment, nevermind when Mars retrograde in Leo is already testing our ability to recognize and own our own lack of personal priorities (whatever those may be) without all the finger-pointing. So with all that said and duly noted, Jupiter's entering Pisces in tandem with the Moon and asteroid Industria suggests a lot of work which needs doing—specifically in areas symbolized by the Moon: money, heritage, women, feelings, childhood, instinct, the unconscious, cultures, home and national populations. And if work needs doing, it stands to reason that it's most likely because errors or misguidance are already in the works. And that isn’t likely to go down particularly well, given the Mars retrograde thing. Result? Frustration. Annoyance. Irritation with others or maybe just with what we all know needs to get done. Moreover, just as the Solar Eclipse fell in tandem with the Saturn and Mercury stations, so now Jupiter’s entering Pisces just as Venus enters Aquarius on January 18 gives us an image of the whole of this January month being about "compounded" realizations, efforts and moments of impact. By itself, Venus in Aquarius is a societal/income signature which underscores discourse, discussions and negotiations—especially those which can be done with a measure of good nature, good humor and humility. New ideas which fulfill social needs/trends or which illuminate opportunities in ways that others can see a benefit to some "greater whole" work well now. Just don’t take your eye off the cosmic ball here: the bigger the scope of your aim, the better. Why? Because the functioning of the greater world is what allows you to live your chosen personal life—or not. As all this begins to gel in life and mind, a bit of an energy "sag" is felt—one you may interpret as disappointment or lethargy, though it’s really neither. It’s just a shift, reflecting the Sun entering Aquarius on January 20 (January 19 in the western Americas and Pacific Basin). This lowering of the "solar volume" isn’t all bad at all—on the contrary, it may actually help you in many ways. When in its full radiant rulership (in Leo—opposite Aquarius), the Sun can be simply "blinding." Now in a somewhat less "direct" Aquarian attitude, light illuminates situations (or personalities) maybe less brilliantly, but more usefully—hence the Aquarian association with worldly social and business success, replete with good things like friendship, satisfaction and earned income. In/under Aquarius we learn whether the "machinery" of life is working and put effort into getting things moving/under way—an apt quality for the sign which follows the seasonal holidays during which so many of us focus on the personal rather than worldly. All this leads to a Full Moon at 10 Leo on January 30, a marking of an inspirational moment for some—and when issues flare up for others, making them want to run back to their Comfort Zones. This is a moment of divide—and for many a time of being of divided mind. This Full Moon raises the specter of what we used to think and whether that’s right—and if it’s not right, then what? Expect a little angst, a little startling emotional news…but like the rest of this period, this is not about "them." It’s about you—and what you presumed about others, and why. No matter where we look now, everything is prompting us to look within. The themes are all about us, though they may dance in the costumes of culture, relationships, health or finance. While others are raising our issues for us, we are raising their issues for them—and it’s not a question of who goes "first" because the issue really isn’t about anyone other than that spirit in flux we are now finding each day in our karmic mirror. It all comes down to willingness—a willingness to look within and a willingness to tolerate the discomfort involved in learning to challenge and change ourselves. The only possible "wrong" here is deciding that life is really all about you—or that you don’t count. Either is judgment, and that wouldn’t seem the order of an evolutionary moment during which you are reading, thinking and breathing—in other words, being alive. Boots Hart, CAP
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