Hi Everyone

Happy New Year! I hope 2015 brings abundant peace, joy and blessings of all kinds to us all.

January begins with a powerful Full Moon on the 4^th at 11:53 p.m. The Moon will be at 14⁰ Cancer, opposed the Sun in Capricorn and squaring Uranus in Aries. The Sun is also conjunct (right next to) Pluto. This Full Moon accentuates the Uranus/Pluto square (aka growth opportunity) that I’ve written about previously. Anytime you have slow-moving outer planets, in this case Uranus and Pluto, in relationship to personal inner planets, the Sun (our essence) and the Moon (our feeling nature, our emotions), it increases the opportunity for deep-seated, evolutionary change. In this case, the opportunities are both personal and collective. This Full Moon urges us to examine how we’ve been using power (Capricorn, Pluto) to nurture (Cancer) ourselves and others. It is a time to shed light (Sun, Moon) on our personal and collective shadow (Pluto).

Attention all air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) our drought is over! The Sun enters Aquarius on January 20^th at 4:44 a.m. ET. The New Moon occurs on the same day at 8:14 a.m. (Mercury, Venus and Mars are also in Aquarius.) As we had in December, both the Sun and Moon will be at 0⁰ of the sign, in this case Aquarius, the sign of the visionary, the humanitarian and the inventor. It is also the sign of genius – our individual, unique talent that we’ve brought with us to share with the world when we are aligned with our spirit. The Greeks would call it our daemon. New moons are also times of new beginnings. The air element is about ideas, inspiration, and new ways of thinking.

In addition, this New Moon squares the last solar eclipse at 0⁰ Scorpio that occurred in October. When this happens it provides an opportunity to revisit the patterns that you began (or let go of) at the time of the eclipse. Are we ready to let a new vision (Aquarius) of our power (Scorpio) into our lives and use that power to create a new way of being on our planet? I should also mention that the rulers of Aquarius and Scorpio (Uranus and Pluto respectively) are also squaring each other – just for added emphasis!

At the time of the New Moon and the Sun’s entry into Aquarius, there is a very rare configuration that hasn’t occurred in 2600 years. It signals the potential for a collective quantum leap and involves the current position of the two lunar nodes. Simply defined, the lunar nodes are where the Moon crosses the ecliptic, which is the imaginary line on the sky that marks the annual path of the Sun. (See earthsky.org for more information.) Every chart has lunar nodes. The current North node, representing where we are headed, what we wanted to learn about in this lifetime, is in Libra. The South node, representing patterns that we need to change and/or let go of, is conjunct (next to) the ruler of Aquarius, Uranus. Conjunctions generally indicate the beginning of a new pattern – or at least the potential for one. In addition, Pluto and the Sun in Capricorn are squaring both nodes. Squares are times of challenge, crisis and growth. So, what this configuration can mean – especially for individuals who have their lunar nodes in Aries/Libra — is a radical change in the way we view ourselves individually (Aries) and collectively (Capricorn). Breakdown (Uranus) of old outmoded patterns (Capricorn) on both levels, balancing (Libra) personal (Aries) and societal (Capricorn) needs for the highest of both, and revising how we use our personal power (Pluto) to express who we truly are (Sun) are all potential uses of the energy of this configuration. Phew! By the way, the Full Moon earlier in the month squared these nodes – preparing the way for this significant time of change. (For additional information on this please see the December/January 2015 edition of The Mountain Astrologer magazine.)

And if that isn’t enough, Mercury, which enters Aquarius on January 4^th, goes retrograde on January 21^st at 10:54 a.m. ET. He’ll be at 17⁰. Mercury really shines in Aquarius; it’s said to be his sign of exaltation, so there will be an easy flow of visionary ideas and identification of old outmoded patterns. Retrograde motion generally means that the planet’s energy works more internally, so this retrograde, which lasts until February 11, will be more about internal change. These changes may become more apparent in mid-February when Mercury goes direct. Because of this retrograde motion, he will be in Aquarius until March 12. Lots of time for lots of inventive, humanistic, and revolutionary ideas to arise.

And finally. Mars enters Pisces on January 12^th and will be conjunct Neptune for the rest of the month. This can bring energy (Mars) to our dreams and spiritual searching (Neptune, Pisces). It can also increase the energy we put into remaining in a fog (Neptune) and/or bring to the fore global issues around water (Pisces). It can also provide more action (Mars) in developing compassion (Neptune, Pisces) for ourselves, for each other and for our planet

Have a wonderful January!

Peace and abundant blessings.

Margaret