Last year was filled with stops and starts. Retrogrades of Mars and Venus slowed progress for a good portion of the year, while the more common retrogrades of Uranus and Chiron had extra effect because they slid back into signs that the planets had left after many years. Even Mercury’s retrogrades seemed to hold extra headaches for many of us. In many areas of life, personal and collective, there was a sense of things being out of control.
As we begin 2019, things are moving very fast, and we may feel a bit of a lurch forward after the holiday season (not that it was all that calm). The strategy for January is to maintain your focus and equilibrium even as you deal with the unexpected. February will help us to integrate the experiences of the past several months, and deal with things on a more even keel.
January
The year starts off with a bang, as Mars entered his home sign of Aries on New Year’s Eve. After spending a good part of 2018 in a holding pattern, the Cosmic Warrior is ready to charge forward, and we’ll all be feeling the heat of this fiery placement for the next six weeks. Mars in Aries will color all that happens in the first month of the year, lending a driven, impetuous, and impatient, edge to things. It’s a great vibe if you have things to accomplish, but free-floating energy could be problematic.
Overindulgence on New Year’s Eve might result in a hangover as the Sun meets Saturn in the earliest hours of the 2nd. We quickly find that responsibilities are waiting for us after the holiday, and New Year’s Day – the great Sunday of the year even though it falls on a Friday – will have us looking forward to the coming month and beyond.
A cosmic storm brews early in the month, as a solar eclipse on the 5th coincides with Uranus’ station to go direct on the 6th. Expect the first week in January to hold some surprises. Just as we get back to work after the holidays, curve balls are thrown our way. Solar eclipses are new moons, and so the energy is more implosive than explosive, yet there is always potential for overt manifestation. At the very least, many of us will be in for an edgy time of it. Consider working (and maybe playing) alone during this time, as cooperation could be hard to find.
We barely get a break in the action before the Sun meets Pluto on the 11th. Power and control issues are prominent as we question who really holds the reigns in our personal and collective lives.
Mercury meets with Saturn and Pluto on the 13th and 18th, so serious discussions could be part of the picture at mid-month. In our communication, we want a bottom-line, no nonsense approach and are ready to speak our truths – and probably will have to listen as others speak their truth, too.
Despite frank negotiations, things could be in for more reversals and changes as the Sun meets Uranus on the 18th, followed by a full moon lunar eclipse on the 21st that is accompanied by a tense Mars/Saturn square. The period of time between the 17th and 22nd is particularly charged, and while we’ll see many things come to light at this time, be aware that it’s not the best time for long-range decisions because we’re likely too emotionally charged and reactive. I’m not saying to do nothing, and indeed quick decisions could be required, but try to maintain a long-range view and work towards temporary fixes rather than irreversible commitments.
During this same period, Venus is very active and our relationships may be particularly susceptible to the winds of change that are blowing so strongly at this time. With Venus square to Neptune during the lunar eclipse, it could be easy to get swept up in a fantasy – or delusion. Grand romance is a possibility, but so are jealousy and power struggles, especially for partnerships in a vulnerable place.
A couple of days later, on the 22nd, Venus meets with Jupiter. This is a hopeful and upbeat aspect that should be great for relationships and socializing in general. A bit of overindulgence is one potential pitfall to avoid (or not avoid, as whim dictates), and it pays to be aware that you may be looking through rose-tinted glasses, but it’s certainly a time to enjoy the company of friends and lovers.
Mercury steps back into center stage from the 22nd through the 24th. A square to Uranus suggests saying what’s on our minds, or perhaps just saying the first thing that comes to mind. With aspects to Chiron and Ceres in the mix, getting our thoughts and feelings out in the open is a good idea, but pay attention to how you say it.
As January draws to a close, Saturn makes an easy sextile to Neptune. This aspect will play out mostly on the collective level, and it pays to watch closely to see what happens in the last week of the month. We will be looking back to the Saturn/Neptune square of 2016, a time of uncertainty and a subsequent new social and political reality. Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, and other events from 2016 are reaching a new stage in their development.
More broadly, this aspect harks back to 1989, when Saturn met Neptune in Capricorn. That period of time saw a major realignment of political power in the world, as the Berlin Wall fell and the Iron Curtain parted. While Cold War tensions eased, we soon found that all was not harmony and peace. New lines were drawn and new barriers emerged. We are beginning to reckon how we’ve handled the past thirty years – where we have succeeded and failed.