Amelia’s Blog

“You have not grown old, and it is not too late
to dive into your increasing depths
where life calmly gives out its own secret.” Rilke

“You can wander into the wrong classroom,
And hear great poems lovingly spoken
By the wrong professor. And you find your soul.
And greatness has a defender , and even in death you’re safe.” Robert Bly

The week starts off as Mercury – the winged god of communication and travel moves from Capricorn into Aquarius joining Pluto, recently entered into Aquarius as well. Mercury conjunct Pluto favors deep and transformative thinking and conversation. This duo is often found in the charts of private detectives and people involved with research.

There are significant Chiron aspects at the beginning of the week also as Venus in Capricorn squares Chiron, the asteroid of the Wounded Healer. This alignment can bring up issues related to self esteem, self worth as well as issues related to love and abundance. With Mercury and Pluto together it is possible to have a new level of understanding and healing of issues like this.

Venus in Capricorn likes the old, traditional ways of thinking and can generate fears about changing or changing too much. But Mercury in Aquarius is an innovative change maker and can find new approaches and solutions beyond the fear and doubt.  Chiron is in Aries now so there is more courage for the process.

Venus continues to be busy through the week – squaring the Lunar Nodes and trining Uranus. It’s a good opportunity to evolve relationships and to bring innovative ideas into the realm of work and finances.

Mars in Capricorn will be making a favorable alignment with Neptune – the planet of dreams and creative visions. This is a good week to work on creative projects.

The Sun will form a Sextile to the North Node this week. This bodes well for collaboration and cooperation with like minded people  or groups. Taking action is key.

The week may have its sudden and surprising events as the Sun moves up to a square to Uranus. It’s a good week to stay grounded and provide extra downtime for the integration of events.

The New Moon at 20 Aquarius is on Friday. The Moon will be squaring Uranus at this time. There’s an old expression in astrology to “expect the unexpected” when Uranus is strong in the sky. It’s a good week in general to nourish the nervous system.

Mercury will be moving up to a square with Jupiter this week – making it a good week to strive for equilibrium as this duo is known for excess.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is , ” a large white dove bearing a message.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

Based on numerology, there is a Tarot Card for each year which speaks of the tone and tenor of the year – what kind of challenges we are likely to encounter and how best to meet them.

Determining the Year Card is a simple process – for  example for 2024, it’s 2+2+4 = 8.

The number 8 in the Tarot deck is the Strength Card.  In A.E.Waite’s deck there is a painting of a maiden in a white dress. She holds a lion’s leash with one hand and with her other, is  gently  closing  the lion’s mouth. She wears a white robe with a sash of red roses, the symbolizing that she has balanced the masculine and feminine forces within her. She has befriended and tamed the instincts within her which when not properly tamed, could get out of control.

It is a card that speaks of  equilibrium, taming forces and courage in the face of fear. There is a lemniscate, (the number eight turned sideways) over the maiden’s head. The lemniscate is a symbol for eternity and for the interconnectedness of all things.

Every year a good friend gives me the gift of a Many Moons Lunar Planner for the upcoming year. It has many talented  astrologers, Tarot Card readers, herbalists and others who contribute their writing.

In the calendar there is always a section on the Year Card.  This year there was a paragraph that particularly caught my attention.

“The Strength Card usually shows up when we need it most :it is a reminder of our own reserves and capabilities in times of upheaval as well as shiny new endeavors. It is a reminder that hard, impossible times are the ones that show us what we are truly made of. To be able to stay open-hearted and open-minded -full of grace and generosity -through betrayals, cruelty and impossible moments.It is a reminder that play, pleasure and creativity or part of a well lived life. This card asks you to stop turning away from that which you desire.

This is the year to do things that will develop your strength and stretch outside your comfort zone.” The Many Moons Lunar Planner

 

 

“We need to remember that we are all created creative and can invent new scenarios as frequently as they are needed.” Maya Angelou

“Work is love made visible.” Kahlil  Gibran

The week starts off with a  beneficial trine from Mars and Mercury in Capricorn to Uranus in Taurus.  With this alignment there is the opportunity in  pragmatic matters to see innovative approaches or solutions that were not apparent before.

Mars- the planet of energy and desire – is making a challenging aspect to the Lunar Nodes. This is a bit like Mars at an important crossroad. It is a good time to look at how you are using your energy and power  to accomplish your aspirations.  Can the work or project be done more efficiently or with an innovative approach? If so, this is a good time to start..

Mercury in Capricorn  is moving up to a sextile to Neptune – the planet of dreams, visions and creativity. This provides a  good time for tangible work on creative projects.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A hidden choir singing during a religious service.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

“There is a door. It opens.Then it is closed. But a slip of
light stays, like a scrap of unreadable paper left on the floor.”
Jane Hirshfield

“To live is so startling it leaves little time for  anything else.” Emily Dickinson

It’s wise for the next few days to raise awareness about any information that surfaces that represents a culmination of information. Breakthroughs and a sudden shift in awareness  are a possibility – as Uranus, the planet of surprises, unexpected events and awakening will station direct on Saturday  at 19 degrees of Taurus in the wee hours of the morning in EDT.

Uranus  is associated with the nervous system so it’s wise to make an extra effort to stay grounded and in the present for the next few days. It’s best  to provide down time for the integration of events,

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A new continent is rising out of the ocean.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

 

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

“Only with winter-patience can we bring the deep- desired, long awaited spring.” Anne Morrow Lindburgh

This is a bit of an edgy week with the Full Moon on Thursday and the Uranus station in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

The Full Moon is at 12:54 AM  on 1/25 at 5 degrees of Leo. The Moon will be forming challenging aspects to both Saturn and Jupiter.

The aspects in general indicate that it may be be easy to feel distracted or pulled in a number of directions. It’s best to focus on your own aspirations at this time and acknowledge accomplishments and success up to this point.  When Saturn and Jupiter are an influence together it’s best to stay grounded and proceed with focus,  determination and patience.

Uranus will station at 19 degrees of Taurus at 2:35 am EST on Saturday morning.  Uranus is the planet of the future and of unexpected events. There can be more impatience with this influence as well as erratic and impulsive behavior.

Moderation is the key.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A bridge being built across a high narrow gorge.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

“If you love your work, everyone benefits.” John Whiteside

“Work is love made visible.” Khalil Gibran

This week is a significant time in the starry heavens – as the Sun in the late degrees of Capricorn is forming a harmonious conjunction to Pluto and then they both move into Aquarius on the 20th.

This is a good week for getting more organized and for working on initiatives for the future. A good launch date this week is January 18 after 2:05 PM EST.

At the beginning of the week, Venus in  Sagittarius will be making a favorable aspect to the North Node – which governs life path and destiny. It’s wise to raise awareness and heed information or guidance which surfaces related to finances, values, self love and relationships.

Also the Sun will be making a harmonious alignment with Neptune opening the door to more inspiration and guidance. It’s a good time to entertain creative approaches.

Mercury in Capricorn is moving up to a trine to Jupiter in Taurus, bringing a good time to expand your thinking – for traveling and learning new things.

Pluto, the god of transformation, is at the final degree  of Capricorn- indicating that you can tap into a culmination of information related to what needs to change and how to go about it. It’s a good time to look at what needs to evolve or transform in your life and your work.

Pluto will enter Aquarius on Saturday and dip back and forth in late Capricorn until November this year when he will transit Aquarius through 2043. If you’re curious about how Pluto is affecting you, get in touch for your 2024 astrology forecast reading.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is.”In winter people are cutting ice from a frozen pond for summer use.

 

 

 

 

“The sign Capricorn is symbolized by the mountain goat, solitary and alone, who climbs to the top of the mountain with patience and persistence. ” Isabel Hickey

“Under a sky the color of pea soup
she is looking at her work growing away there
actively, thickly like grapevines or pole beans
as things grow in the real world, slowly enough.
If you tend them properly, if you mulch, if you water,
If you provide birds that eat insects a home and winter food,
If the sun shines and you pick off caterpillars,
If the praying mantis comes and the ladybugs and the bees,
then the plants flourish, but at their own internal clock.”  from The Seven of Pentacles by Marge Piercy

The Seven of Pentacles is a beautiful card which depicts a woman standing near her a flowering plant.  She leans upon a rake and looks down at her garden somewhat wistfully. She looks as if she thinks that perhaps what she had envisioned  for her plot may not happen.

But the answer is that the garden will grow, just at its own pace.

The Sun and Mars and Pluto are all transiting Saturn- ruled Capricorn  now and we are heading into Thursday’s New Moon in this down-to-earth sign. It’s a good time for pragmatics and long term planning, perseverance and determination.  It bodes well  to slow down, take your time and have patience.

Uranus is a player this week too – trining the Sun. Although due to other influences things may feel limited, the way out is through innovative thinking.

January’s  New Moon is Thursday at 20 degrees of Capricorn. At this time, the Moon will be squaring the Moon’s Nodes of karma and life path  indicating an important crossroad and a more powerful time for intention setting.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A hidden choir singing during a religious service.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

“Revelation is a window on the journey of your soul.” F. Aster Barnwell

“Like the wolf, intuition has claws that pry things open and tie things down, it has eyes that can see through the shields of the persona, it has ears that hear beyond the range of mundane human understanding. ” Clarissa Pinkola Estes

One time, when I had a close friend who was dying,  I and a few others would  take turns staying at his house overnight so that  he could stay at home and as close to his young children as long as possible. One morning, early, when I entered the sunny kitchen to start my day with him, a woman who had spent the night there was sitting at the kitchen table writing in her journal.  I tiptoed past her, not wanting to disturb her, because she appeared deep in thought, and so I proceeded upstairs to see if my friend would like his customary cup of jasmine green tea.

I remembered  her this morning when I was considering the planetary alignments. In her journal writing she was untangling the past and envisioning the future with evolving perceptions.

The next few days provide very  good timing for such a process. Jupiter, the God  of Wisdom stationed direct on Saturday (yesterday) and Mercury, the Messenger God , will station direct tomorrow, Monday January 1.

These aspects are akin to a threshold time and provide a particularly potent time to seek guidance and heed intuition. They can, together, shed light on the past and illuminate the future.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A bluebird, a sign of good luck and happiness, is standing at the door of the house.”

 

 

 

“Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think its queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake,
The darkest evening of the year.” Robert Frost

“The longing for light is the longing for consciousness.”Carl Jung

The week starts off with Mercury in Capricorn  forming a harmonious trine  to Jupiter. This is an optimistic combination and bodes well for expansive and future oriented thinking, studying and planning. Best to work on the big picture now  and leave room for adjustments later as Mercury is retrograde. This aspect will  be an influence through Wednesday this week.

Venus in Scorpio is moving up to an opposition to Uranus in Taurus this week. This is the aspect of love at first sight. It has an erratic and rebellious nature and can bring a desire for more  freedom and excitement. In combination with the first quarter Moon on Tuesday it provides a good time to move away from unproductive patterns in love relationships and finances.It’s wise to lean on the practicality and down-to- earth influence of  Mercury in Capricorn to implement any decisions, as the fleet footed messenger god  will be forming a  harmonious alignment with Saturn.

Throughout the week  Mars will be in a challenging alignment with Uranus. Best to watch for impulsiveness. It’s wise to provide extra downtime this week as nerves can be frayed and tempers short.

The Winter Solstice, when the Sun enters Capricorn is Thursday the 21st at 10:27 PM. This is the time we celebrate the rebirth of the Light. It is a good time to sow seeds for your future aspirations as it is a powerful Turning of the Wheel.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”Wisps of clouds like wings are streaming across the sky.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill.

 

 

“Every perception of the world around us is absolutely colored by the narrative or image-filled lens through which we perceive.  We are all poets and artists as we live our daily lives, whether we recognize this role and whether or not we believe it.” Thomas Moore

December’s New Moon is Tuesday the 12 th at 6:30 PM EST. At this time the Sun and Moon will be at 20 degrees of Sagittarius.

With both Uranus and Neptune being strong influences, this opens a new cycle (for  roughly 30 days) when it bodes well to  expand  thinking and  use the powers of innovation and imagination in problem solving  and envisioning – and in reviewing the past as Mercury stations  retrograde on Wednesday December 13. The Trickster god will station at 8 degrees of Capricorn and move backward into late Sagittarius on December 23. This will provide good timing for a period of end of the year reflection and review.

Mercury will end the retrograde motion and station direct on January 1, 2024 in Sagittarius.

One of the Sabian symbols  for this time is, “A bluebird, a sign of good luck and happiness, is standing at the door of the house.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill