Author: Amelia Shea

“I can see the harbor lights,
Hear the foghorns in the night
All up and down the lough, calling, calling,

From the rocky shores on Maine
I will sail back home again
Back to where my heart longs to be.” Van Morrison

“Mars is the god of desire: eros, feistiness, aggression, heat and action. We draw up on Mars for courage, dynamism, passion and kinship with life.” Caroline  W. Casey

The Moon waxes Full today -January 13- at 5:27 PM EST at 24 degrees of Cancer- the sign of home and family. The Moon is conjunct Mars at this time lending energy, drive and vitality. This can strengthen courage and motivation.

Mars can also bring irritation and impatience. If this occurs it’s best to start moving – take a walk or do some yoga.

The Moon will be making favorable alignments with Uranus and Neptune as well. It’s possible now to express yourself in creative and innovative  ways that  you may have been hesitant about up to this point. It is a good influence for changing habits and beliefs that have outlived their usefulness.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A nature spirit dancing in the mist of a waterfall.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

“The room was suddenly rich and the great
bay-window was
Spawning snow and pink roses against it
Soundlessly collateral and incompatible:
World is suddener than we fancy it.” Louis Mac Neice

“Learning to trust your intuition is an art form, and like other art forms, takes time to perfect. Your intuition is always 100% correct, but it takes time to hear it correctly.” Shakti Gawain

Mercury has just recently entered the sign of Capricorn.  Mercury in this placement is down to earth – pragmatic and
responsible. He is serious in communication and thinks before he speaks. This placement can bring some clarity into what may have been a more confusing time recently when Mercury was squaring Neptune.

Retrograde Mars has entered the late degrees of Cancer now. This placement brings the focus of the action oriented planet to the past and family. It’s wise to watch for impulsiveness in speech and action with the retrograde focus as with the Cancerian influence, subjectivity can be the orientation. It’s wise to keep objectivity in mind. This will be an influence through late February when Mars will station direct.

On Wednesday the Sun in Capricorn squares Chiron in Aries. This can bring up issues related to the steps we take to attain our goals .It’s a good time to look at our orientation to this area of life and how improvements may be beneficial.

Mercury in Capricorn will be squaring the Lunar Nodes  Wednesday- best to raise awareness to any information which indicates the path forward. It can come from many sources – you could hear it, read it and it could come through an intuitive channel.

Retrograde Mars backtracks to a trine to Neptune in Pisces on Sunday making a good time for creativity, spiritual journeys and romance.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A woman has risen out of the ocean, a seal is embracing her.”

Friends – Alot of change is on the horizon for 2025 – both globally and personally. Get in touch if you would like to see how the changes will be impacting your chart. The rate for the one hour reading is $150.

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

“There is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: if you’re alive, it isn’t.

“You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you.” Aslan in The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

Mars, the planet of courage and energy, is moving up to a harmonious trine with the North Node now and this alignment  will be exact on Thursday. Do watch for particularly significant events tomorrow which may point the way to the future for you.

With Mars sextiling the South Node there is the opportunity to let go of or move beyond issues that have created  impediments to the path forward.

It’s best to keep intentions very clear this week.

The Sun in Capricorn will form a quincunx with Jupiter in Gemini. This is a good aspect for having fun and feeling free of restrictions. Do watch for overdoing as Jupiter was a lover of good times and pleasure and prone, at times, to excess.

Venus moves out of Aquarius and into Pisces this week. Venus in Pisces is sensitive, empathetic and mystical. This provides a good time for mystical and creative journeys and a good time to bring more inspiration into your life.

Mars has been retrograding down to an opposition to Pluto for some time now and will be exact on Friday with Pluto at 1 degree of Aquarius and Mars at 1 degree of Leo. This can bring heightened conflict both personally and collectively. It is a good time to contemplate how  you use power and if improvements can be made. Do you give it away? Or find it hard to advocate for what you want in your life?

Pluto is activated now. It is a strong influence  in 2025 and provides an excellent opportunity for personal transformation in a more empowered direction.

The 2025 alignments can bring  sudden breakthroughs and illuminations which create a broader perspective of life.

Pluto will be sextiling the North Node this week providing good timing for a new level of closure on unresolved issues of the past.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”An unexpected thunderstorm.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

“The strength of Capricorn lies in its ability to endure. It knows that true transformation is a long process and it is willing to walk the slow and steady road to wisdom.” Diane Rudhyr

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Monday’s New Moon is at 5:27 PM EST  with the Sun and the Moon at 9 degrees of Capricorn. Capricorn is the sign that knows how to build a solid structure for our lives. This Moon cycle – for the next month or so – provides very good timing for planning, organizing and putting a strong foundation under your plans and intentions for the New Year.

The Moon and Sun are conjunct Pallas Athena – the goddess of strategy and advocacy. Pallas Athene always was pictured with an owl on her shoulder – as a reminder of what she could not see.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”An angel comes, carrying a harp.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

“Go, said the bird, for the leaves were full of children,
Hidden excitedly, containing laughter,
Go, go, go said the bird: humankind
Cannot bear very much reality.
Time past and time future
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end which is always present.” TS  Eliot

“I recognize my other self and in the waning of that self I glow and grow,” Alice Bailey

We are still under the influence of the recent Winter Solstice when the Sun entered Capricorn on December 21. This time of the year is a sacred portal of sorts and a good time to contemplate your personal evolutionary process – particularly about actions and decisions that were made over the past year and how they played out.

Now is the time to consider movement forward and how and if plans and aspirations might benefit from adjustment.

This week – through Friday -Mercury will be squaring Saturn. This is a good influence for turning inward. Conversations may become more serious and comments may be taken more seriously than intended.

Mercury will also be opposing Jupiter Keeping speech moderate, balanced and thoughtful will be beneficial.

Jupiter will be square Saturn on the 24th. Saturn is the god of consequences and Jupiter is the planet of expansion. This alignment can provide insight and wisdom to what you have set in motion over the past year and how and why it played out the way it did. Again, this is helpful in charting the path forward in terms of your personal evolution.

Under this influence it’s wise to remember to temper optimism with pragmatism and pragmatism with optimism.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”In a quiet moment, a creative individual experiences the flow of inspiration.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill.

“Atoms arrange themselves into complicated structures from stars to snowflakes almost as if the particles were obeying a hidden yearning for organization and order.” Mitchell Waldrop

“Why sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” Lewis Carroll

There may indeed be a longing for more organization and order  early this week as the Sun moves up to a square with the dreamy, drifty planet Neptune. This can contribute to a sense of uncertainty or indecision and is a bit of a continuation of last week’s Neptunian energy as well as the Mercury retrograde station.

Mercury stationed yesterday but there can be less clarity sometimes around the station – especially when Neptune is a strong influence. If things feel unsettled, give it a few days.

On a lighter note, Jupiter in Gemin is aligning with Venus in Aquarius  in a very harmonious way. This  aspect bodes well for enjoying life. It is a great time for socializing and being with friends. This alignment will be exact at 14 degrees.

Saturday the 21st is the Winter Solstice when the Sun will move into Capricorn. More on this later.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is, “Two lovebirds sitting on a fence and singing happily.”

Sabian symbol quote from Liz Greene.

 

 

“What seas what shores what grey rocks and what islands
What water lapping the bow
And scent of pine and the wood thrush singing through the fog
What images return
O my daughter.”TS Eliot

“I know of the way of all things by what is in me.” Lao Tzu

Neptune, the sea god,  is a strong influence at the upcoming  Full Moon which is exact at 4:02 am on Sunday the 15th at 23 degrees of Gemini. The sea God stirs up storms at sea and can make visibility difficult. He also rules the fog which creeps in cloaking everything.

The Full Moon will be squaring Neptune which can bring some confusion- particularly about information.This  influence does bode will for intuition, creative visions and activity and spiritual growth and perspectives. It’s a good time to trust intuition.

Mercury will station direct – ending the retrograde period – after the Full Moon at 3:56 PM on Sunday also.  The god of communication and travel will come to a standstill at 6 degrees of Sagittarius

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”Cupid knocking at the door of a human heart.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

 

“I would love to live
Like a river flows,
Carried by the surprise
Of its own unfolding.” John O’Donohue

“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Many spiritual traditions honor this time of year as a time of soul renewal. The Jupiter/Saturn square now in effect provides excellent timing for this kind of pause or retreat.

Jupiter is retrograde now in Gemini. This speaks of an inner quest to look at the big picture. Jupiter governs our beliefs and and how our beliefs shape our actions in the world. Over time beliefs can change and this time frame (the square with Saturn is in effect now and  will be exact at 14 degrees of Gemini/Pisces on December 24) bodes well for contemplating whether old beliefs have been outgrown – including beliefs about ourselves. A time to reclarify.

It is a time that calls for equilibrium and balancing  optimism with pragmatism and pragmatism with optimism.

On Monday Venus forms a harmonious alignment with the North Node and South Node. This is a time when information may surface about your life path. People can also enter your life at this time that can help you with your path forward.

Tuesday the Sun trines Chiron in fire signs (Sagittarius and Aries ) Chiron is the asteroid of the Wounded Healer making this a good time for healing or regenerating energy around creativity, self confidence and optimism.

Thursday Venus in Aquarius opposes Mars in Leo. This is a stressful alignment as the Divine Lovers are at odds. Venus in Aquarius is a lover of freedom and has a somewhat detached nature while Mars in Leo craves attention. This alignment has been in effect for awhile and can cause friction in relationships.

Friday Mercury sextiles Venus. This a good day for harmonious conversations. It can help resolve problems and create alliances where difference of opinions exist. Helpful information may surface through intuition and dreams.

The Full Moon at 23 degrees of Gemini is on Sunday – more on this later.
One of the Sabian symbol for this time,”deep within the depths of the earth,new elements are being formed.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

“True power is the power to be connected to, the power to be in harmonious relationship with.” Diane Mariechild

“Natural events are potent because they act in accordance with how things work. They simply are. Study the natural processes; the light in the sky, the gravity of earth, the unfolding of your own ideas and insights, the emptiness of space and the fullness of life.” John Heider

Mars, the god of action and desire is slowing down now to station retrograde on December 6. He will come to a standstill at 6 degrees of Leo at 6:33 PM EST.

The retrograde periods of Mars occur  approximately every two years. This retrograde will last through February 23, 2025.

Mars is highly energized and has a strong  desire nature and a strong drive to keep moving  forward. The retrograde  period gives us time to slow down and review what actions we take to attain our aspirations.

The Mars retrograde will start in Leo and  retrograde back into Cancer. These alignments bring the focus to self esteem, creativity, courage as well as family life and relationships.

There is a Sabian symbol that I like to think about as connected to retrograde times.  It is,”an old sea captain rocking on the porch of his cottage.” This symbol is about reflection and assimilation of experience.

Mercury is retrograde now as well and will be until December 15th, making this a good time to recollect, reflect and reconsider.

One of the Sabian symbols of this time is,”The wonder of the constellations of stars in the night sky.”

 

“A self is not something static. A self is always becoming. Being does not mean becoming, but we run so fast that it is only when we seem to stop- as sitting on a rock by the brook-that we are aware of our isness, of being.” Madeleine L’Engle

“One must choose in all things a mean, just and good…Error and confusion dwell in the extremes.” Pythagoras

This teaching of Pythagoras – about the importance of balance and equilibrium – will be helpful when applied to the astrological goings-on this week. Although Pythagoras- in our time – is known mostly for his Pythagorean Theorum,  he was a mystic who traveled and taught in Mystery Schools.

One of the significant astrological events this week is on Monday, as Mercury stations  retrograde at 22 degrees of Sagittarius. At the time of the station, Venus will opposite Jupiter, square Neptune and  form an inconjunct with Uranus. This can be a restless and somewhat confusing time when keeping an eye on eqilibrium will be helpful.

Wednesday  holds some fiery, dynamic energy with the Sun in Sagittarius aligning favorably with Mars, the planet of action and desire, This bodes well for clarity and for getting organized and  motivated.

Venus squares Chiron on Wednesday also. Venus in Capricorn is reserved, responsible and traditional. Old issues of self esteem,  self worth and  abundance can arise under this configuration. It’s a good time to acknowledge  progress that has been made in these areas over time and consider any changes that might be desired moving forward.
On Thursday Neptune, now retrograde, makes a very positive alignment with Ceres the great mother and nurturer. This is a good day for idealism and for nurturing and caring for people who are important to us.

Saturday Pallas Athene, the goddess of diplomacy and strategy, moves out of fiery Sagittarius and into Capricorn. This, along with other influences this week, is a good time to look at where we have been holding on to old ideas, thoughts and behaviors for too long and would benefit from moving on.

“Light breaking into many colors as it passes through a prism.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill