Category: Amelia’s Blog

January 2012 Astrology

“Let it grow, let it grow,
Let it blossom let it flow,
In the rain and in the snow…
Plant your love and let it grow.” Eric Clapton
 
 
Well here we are in 2012. Welcome to a very transformative time on planet  Earth.
The month of January is a fertile time for sowing the seeds of intention and fortifying tender shoots.  Be very clear and be open to affirmations. Endeavors which involve transformation and innovation will receive support.
It is a good month to examine daily routines and how they contribute to or detract from the ongoing creation of good health.  Identify unproductive habits related to work, lifestyle, diet and move in a more vibrant direction. Apply innovative approaches and methods.
When frustrations occur or tempers flare, regard it as an opportunity to interact in a new way rather than automatically responding with an old perspective.
Significant time frames and dates for the month:
The Full Moon falls on 1/9 at 18 degrees of Cancer. This Moon is related to the recent eclipses in Cancer and Capricorn. It involves the evolution of matters concerning home, family, ancestry, ancestral inheritance as well as the dream life and its correlation to the mundane world. Under the light of this full Moon it bodes well to contemplate these areas of life. It is a good time to ask for advice from ancestors.
January 8 – 14 Mercury will conjunct Pluto in Capricorn. It bodes well to think about how some traditional forms of thinking or being may no longer serve you and how you might organize your life to feel more effective and authentic.
From the 9th through the 18th Venus will conjunct Neptune.  On the 14 Venus will enter Pisces and conjunct Chiron. This period is an excellent good time for spiritual and creative growth. Chiron’s involvement indicates that it is a good time to heal old wounds through forgiveness and a spiritual approach.  
Mars stations retrograde on the 23 – more about this later.
A word about 2012- Author and Jungian analyst Clarissa Pinkola Estes has written about the importance of acknowledging the many small and large deaths which occur throughout our lifetimes. Not necessarily literal deaths – although that can pertain as well – but endings which are transformative in nature – small and large endings which hold the seeds of a new beginning. Births, graduations, marriage, divorce, job changes, moves – all these kinds of events represent the death of the old and herald the start of the new. This is what the aspects of 2012 – widely in effect through 2017 are about – a gate time which represents a significant time in personal and planetary evolution.

New Moon 12/24

“Love is most nearly itself
When here and now cease to matter.” TS Eliot
 

The New Moon on Saturday December 24 falls at 2 degrees of Capricorn at 1:06 PM EST. Jupiter and Saturn are a strong influence in the sky as is Chiron- the asteroid of the Wounded Healer.  Resolution of difficult situations and doorways into opportunity can come now through a creative or spiritual approach.

 

 

Winter Solstice

The Sun enters Capricorn on the Winter Solstice Thursday December 22nd EST. At this powerful gateway the Sun will square Uranus and then move up to a square with Pluto – boding well for innovative and out of the box thinking. It is a good time to heed ideas that illuminate and evolve limited thought patterns. The Uranus/Pluto square – sometimes known as one of the 2012 aspects – is a wake up call about personal and planetary evolution.

Question Authority

There was a bumper sticker popular in the Sixties when Uranus and Pluto were consorting together as they are now. It read “Question Authority.”  Once again we are seeing this sentiment expressed throughout the world with the birth of the Occupy Movement as protests arise against current economic, political and social values and policies. December 10th’s Full Moon Lunar eclipse occurred at 9:36 am EST.  This eclipse opens a new chapter into rethinking values and authenticity. It is a good idea under this influence to revisit values, assumptions and philosophies – personal and political – to see if they are in need of evolution in order to live more authentically

December Lunar Eclipse at 18 Gemini

“Live from the dream outward.” Carl Jung

Eclipses offer powerful evolutionary windows of opportunity into the future. Saturday’s (12/10/11) eclipse, which occurs at 18 degrees of Gemini at 9:36 am EST, is particularly significant due to its close proximity to the powerful Uranus station which occurs just hours before (2:05 am EST.) Uranus, the planet associated with innovation, awakening and enlightenment will have just turned direct at 0 degrees of Aries – a powerful cardinal point for beginnings. These cosmic influences provide excellent timing for evolutionary leaps. It is a good time to identify and expand habitual thought patterns which limit possibilities and to set intentions to live with more personal authenticity.

December 2011 Astrology

 “A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a person contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” Antoine de Saint Exupery

Astrological influences indicate that ideas can take root and move in into manifestation quickly these days so it bodes well to keep thoughts proactive and positive.

There is significant planetary activity in December indicating that the month is likely to hold more twists and turns than we normally anticipate. To minimize turbulence flexibility is key. Much is in flux and it is better to regard the passage through the month as an open ended education than a time of fixed ideas and expectations. Heed well the lessons learned this December because they can be valuable in the long term.

Make an extra effort to ensure communications are clear. Through mid month Mercury will be retrograde in Sagittarius and Mars will be retrograde in Virgo. When situations or communications go awry misunderstandings can arise more suddenly than usual and lead to criticism or conflict. It is best to regard situations like this as a riddle and ascertain where the loose strands lie, rather than taking a dogmatic or self righteous approach.

In early December Venus will move up to a conjunction with Pluto. Concerns about love, relationship, scarcity, finances and security can surface with more power than usual. It bodes well to avoid extremes in thinking or action under these influences and to keep balance and moderation in mind.

 There is a Lunar Eclipse on Dec. 10 at 18 degrees of Gemini. Many options or ideas may present themselves all month long and it will be easy to get distracted and feel impatient.  It bodes well to make an extra effort to concentrate and put off any important decisions until after Mercury stations direct on the 14th.

 Uranus stations direct on the same day as the eclipse at 0 Aries- a powerful point in astrology for new beginnings. It is a good time to heed breakthroughs, and ideas that open doors into a more expansive future.

 Mercury will station direct on Dec 14th   clearing the way for improved communication and travel. It bodes well to revisit any adjustments in plans, concepts and ideas that occurred over the retrograde period (since late November.) and put them into action after the station.

Jupiter stations direct on Dec. 25 – boding well for celebrations – just watch for excess.

 The Sun conjuncts Pluto on the 29th – making late December a very good time to process inner and outer changes which have transpired during 2011.

 

Occupy Wall St – the Astrology of 2012

The Pluto/ Uranus square (in effect through 2017 and sometimes referred to as the 2012 aspect) – symbolizes an era in which movements that challenge the corrupt underpinnings of the powers- that- be will gain traction. An interesting recent example of this was the Occupy Wall St movement at Harvard. It was started by a group of students who walked out of an economics class in protest saying that kind of principles being taught were responsible for bringing the economy to the brink of collapse. On a larger scale we see the Occupy movement in general advocating for more economic, political and social justice. The movement does not have to have all the answers in the present but the actions they initiate are likely to create significant change in the future.

On Mercury Retrograde

“Life is what happens when you’re making other plans.”John Lennon

There was a saying popularized in the sixties – when Uranus and Pluto were in close aspect as they are now. It was a revolutionary time and the revolution had a spiritual and intellectual side as well as a political one. The saying was “flow with it,” meaning that it was preferable to presume that there were higher forces at play when mundane plans went awry. This is a good philosophy to live by when Mercury is retrograde as it is now through Dec 14th EST.

Yesterday after Mercury had turned retrograde I was awaiting a call from a friend who was in town for the holiday. She had said she would call before she came by early in the morning so we would have time together before her departure at noon.  

I had been planning to take drive up to the surrounding hills for a hike in the morning and decided to wait for her call to see if she wanted to go with me.  I busied myself around the house until 11 or so and the call never came. I knew this kind of thing happens under Mercury retrograde – delays, miscommunications etc, and realized that it might be better to take a walk around my neighborhood instead while I was waiting for her. I left her a note and took off on foot down the street.  Some neighbors were out in their yard stacking wood and I thought as I walked past them that I should turn around and introduce myself as I had wanted to meet them for some time. I speculated that they might be kindred spirits.

I turned around and as it turns out we had more in common than I had thought and made plans to visit again in the future. As our conversation wound down my phone rang and it was my friend saying she was on her way.

It’s best under Mercury retrograde to assume that delays or snafus happen for a purpose – rather than stoking the fires of anger, impatience or self righteousness. When we push too hard for our own individual agenda under these influences it is possible to miss windows of opportunity that can be present.

 

New Moon Eclipse

“Life is a spell so exquisite that everything conspires to break it.” Emily Dickenson

Eclipses offer evolutionary opportunities and open new chapters in our lives. Friday’s New Moon Eclipse* occurs at 2 degrees of Sagittarius. At the time of the eclipse Uranus is trining the Sun and New Moon.  New people and opportunities can unexpectedly enter our lives under this very positive influence. It is best to follow up on any opportunities promptly and factor in habitual blind spots.

*All times mentioned are EST