Mercury and Mars retrograde

The year gets off to a slower than usual start as Mercury (communications) and Mars (energy) are still retrograde. Retrograde means backwards. So it’s a good time to review, rework, revise (Mercury retrograde); reinforce and retrench (Mars). Mars retrograde in Leo gives us an opportunity to work on strengthening leadership skills and creative abilities. But moving forward can be sticky and challenging. Especially new initiatives, as things tend to drag during Mars retrograde, and the aggressor tends to lose the battle. Machines can be tricky— this is probably not the time to buy a new car or new computer equipment. Physically, our energies are lower, so this would not be the time to push your limits or try for a personal best. Communications improve when Mercury retrograde ends on the 15th, but Mars retrograde hangs on through early March.

Jupiter enters Pisces

Jupiter, planet of growth and abundance, enters a new sign once a year. On January 17, Jupiter will enter Pisces, a sign he last traversed in 1998. Jupiter in Pisces moves away from the Aquarius-logical, and into a Pisces-emotional, artistic, and spiritual vibe. It favors nurses, artists, psychics, actors, people who work with water or the ocean, mystery writers, manufacturers and sellers of wine, beer, and spirits. As Jupiter rules the legal system, we may see reform of drug (Pisces) laws and the prison system (also Pisces) in 2010.

Saturn square Pluto

This aspect will be exact at the end of the month, but it will be felt all month. Saturn in Libra calls us to work for fairness, give and take, harmony, beauty, and rebalancing inequities from the past. Pluto in Capricorn overhauls and transforms traditions, structures, and The Way It Has Always Been Done. The square represents a challenge that tests our mettle. The rules (Saturn) must be changed (Pluto), and there will be massive resistance, as these two planetary energies typically do not work well together. We are integrating an idea or change that first appeared in fall 2009 with the first iteration of this transit.

Jupiter sextile Pluto appears in late January, early February. Sextiles signal opportunity— in this case an opportunity in the midst of a difficulty or crisis. You find this opening by pairing the whimsical, fantastical, dream-sourced or artistic, with the traditional, practical and useful.

January 1-14

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Happy New Year! After a powerful full Moon Eclipse on New Year’s Eve, we start 2010 in the highest energy phase of the Lunar cycle. With Mercury and Mars retrograde, and Saturn stationary about to turn retrograde, things are moving more slowly than usual up in the heavens. There is not a lot of planetary action to report. Wednesdays are the hot days this month, as the Moon sets off the Saturn Pluto square. Around January 3-4, retrograde Mercury conjoins the Sun, then Venus. Sometimes when Mercury is conjunct the Sun, our brains feel a little overcooked. But things still come out pretty when Venus is involved. It’s a good time to review written works and documents, clean up the wording, and search old notes for ideas you can use in 2010.

The rest of the week is clear and fine for your plans. Keep in mind, however, that caution lights are flashing as Mercury and Mars are still retrograde.

Venus and Saturn are in mutual reception all month. Mutual reception means the two are in each other’s signs. Venus in Saturn’s sign, Capricorn, and Saturn in Venus’s sign, Libra. It strengthens the two planets, giving them a direct line to each other. Love and money has a direct line to Saturn’s practicality, and business has a direct line to Venus’s bonhomie and negotiating power. Negotiating skills will come in handy at this time. Read up on basic concepts if you need to. Can you recommend a good book? Post your suggestion in the comments.

Monday the 11th, the Sun meets Venus, bringing an agreeable mood. It’s a good day for socializing and beautifying. In practical Capricorn, a good day to hold a business meeting or pretty up your workplace. The Sun and Venus will both move on to sextile Uranus between now and Wednesday. The sextile signals to us that help is available. It’s a good time to reach out and help other people, and to ask for what you need. Uranus favors inventors, reformers, and folks who are open to a new and different approach. Uranus governs technology, computers, and the internet, so these are good days to take a class to expand your knowledge, or call out the guy to fix your PC again. (But bear in mind, bald tires and old machines tend to crap out during Mars rx. It may be time for a new one!)

The Moon is in the lowest energy part of the Lunar cycle this week, the week just before the new Moon. So this is not the week to launch a major new endeavor. It is more conducive to working on existing projects, and planning.

January 15-24

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A high energy Solar Eclipse gets us going early on Friday the 15th. A Solar Eclipse is a turbocharged new Moon, a time to leave behind an old cycle and begin anew. We can use this time to plant seeds of intention that we hope to nourish and bring to fruition in our reality. Capricorn is about long-term planning, retirement, self-discipline. It’s about your goals and what you have to do to achieve them.1 With the Eclipse happening so close to Venus, notice who supports you and all the connections around you that make your goals possible, or those connections you need to create to make them possible.

Mercury retrograde ends on Friday as well. Expect communications and connectivity problems to get better in the coming week. The mood changes considerably as Jupiter finishes his year long stint in Aquarius and moves into Pisces on Sunday night. Venus and the Sun finish up their month in Capricorn and move into Aquarius on Monday and Tuesday. The Sun and Venus then move into a trine with Saturn in early degrees of Libra, made more powerful by mutual reception between Saturn and Venus. Yes, Saturn rules Aquarius, too. It’s a trine in air signs, conducive to communications and social gatherings. It’s time to build a bridge of goodwill, trust, and promises kept, that will take you into the future you want. The trine lasts through Sunday morning.

January 25-31

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Caution lights come on this week as the Saturn Pluto square grows in power, Venus and the Sun come into opposition with frustrated retrograde Mars, and the Moon waxes to full. The Mars oppositions are strongest when exact on Tuesday and Friday, but consider them in play all week. Use a light touch, and try not to get caught up in the moment when tempers flare. If someone is being a jerk, stand aside and let them show their true colors. Remember the one who initiates the fight, tends to lose during Mars rx.

Mark your calendar!

The best days for your top priority plans are January 4, 8, 11-14, 21, 24, 25.
Take it easy January 6, 20, 26-31.

Further reading

Lynn Koiner on Mars in Leo, Mars retrograde.
A Glimpse at 2010 from Nancy’s Starlight News political astrology blog.

1 For more information on using the power of the new Moon to change your life, see Jan Spiller’s book, New Moon Astrology.