Astro Tips: New Moon in Aquarius, January 20, 2015

New Moon in Aquarius

January 20, 2015

New Moon – Zero degrees of Aquarius: 

The Sun has just entered Aquarius and is joined by the New Moon at 0 degrees of that sign on January 20^th.   Aquarius is an air sign ruled by two planets-- Saturn (the original ruler) and Uranus (the first planet discovered with a telescope).  Aquarius and Uranus give us storms, electricity, all things technical and things from the sky and the great beyond.  I tried to make a call from my cell phone today. I touched the phone icon but the call went through as face time.  I tried again. Same thing.  There is overabundance of technology right now! Mercury and Venus are also in Aquarius and Mercury is getting ready to enter its first retrograde phase of the year the day after this new moon.  There is a lot of “air” and technology to deal with and we might expect this while the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Moon all reside in Aquarius PLUS the retrograde event of Mercury in Aquarius. 

Mercury is retrograde in Aquarius January 21 to February 12. 

 Missed phone calls, misunderstandings, software foul-ups, delayed mail are common Mercury retrograde occurrences. They might be magnified with all the energy pile up in Aquarius. Be careful not to hit the “send to all” tab or your entire community will know some secrets!!  Some of us will connect with old friends, especially friends who have shared interests in social causes, because Aquarius is about the advancement of justice and freedom for humanity.  We are living during a time of increased enlightenment (under the domain of the last signs of the zodiac—Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces) for planet earth and all inhabitants.  Mercury retrograde brings more talk and examples of where we are with our collective enlightenment. Of course we are all over the place.  Extreme injustice exists alongside outstanding compassion and awareness of our spiritual identity as a species.  It’s all happening at the same time.

Mercury and Venus in the sign of Aquarius:  focus on friends and common interests.

Mercury and Venus in Aquarius are shouting across the court at Jupiter.  We have big expectations and full lungs to announce our arrival!  Jupiter is expansion. This is a perfect time to think big and to promote yourself and your projects.   Aquarius is a sign of friendship. Consider this a perfect period to join with kindred spirits for fun and to advance shared interests.

Mars and Neptune are together in Pisces:  Practice moderation and good self-care. Don’t over-do it.  Be patient with your body.  If it says to slow down, slow down.

We started the New Year with planet Mars in Pisces moving close to planet Neptune (transiting Pisces for a couple of years now).  Remember, Mars is assertion. Wherever Mars is in a horoscope, we see the drive to survive and thrive. We can tell whether a person will be aggressive or cooperative, patient or impulsive.  Neptune is the energy of confusion and fogginess.  Consequently our physical, assertive energy may be diminished as Mars draws close to Neptune this week.  Perfect atmosphere for viruses.  Neptune is the strange transmission of illness anyway. Many people have had some variation of virus, flu, colds, or just the blahs!  We will all feel stronger when Mars finishes its transit through watery Pisces and kicks into fire sign, Aries. We have to wait until after mid February for that to happen.

What is the union of Mars and Neptune good for?

Neptune’s energy is the portal between our worldly life and our homo-spiritus life that connects us with the Universe.  When Mars joins Neptune, especially in the sign of Pisces, we are drawn to our spiritual life, whatever that means to us as individuals.  Some of us feel spiritual when we go fishing or take a walk by the lake.  Others feel spiritual in yoga practice or in a meditation group or in the sanctuary of our church.  Other people connect with spirit when engaged in creative work.  Some need to dance to plug in to something greater.  Mars and Neptune in Pisces open the doorways to other dimensions.  The next few weeks are ideal for meditation, creative endeavors, voluntary service, and inspirations of all varieties.

Don’t forget Saturn.  Right around the December holidays, Saturn completed its two and one half year visit in the sign of Scorpio.  Saturn teaches us to be practical and hence to recognize our limitations.  By acknowledging these limitations we become more mature, we accomplish more and we attain some wisdom.  Saturn in Scorpio taught us about our resources.  Not just our financial resources, but also our energy resources. Where should I direct my energy? What do I want to do with my energy until my time is up?  How much energy do I have and what is reasonable to do with my energy?  What are my energy limitations?  What do I want my legacy to be?  Scorpio, a deep-water sign, has brought deeper awareness about the meaning of life to many people.

Now Saturn turns its attention to the fire sign, Sagittarius, the ruler of our belief systems, the law, and our ethical behavior.  Bottom line:  It is not practical to continue on a path of arrogant attachment to outmoded belief systems that threaten life on Planet Earth.

Every sign has its shadow.   One shadow characteristic of Sagittarius is hubris. Sometimes Sagittarius thinks its way is the only way.  It becomes entrenched in its own belief system and closes eyes and ears to new understanding.  The gods could be downloading vital data for peace on earth and the download could go in the trash due to hubris.  Saturn traveling through Sagittarius will teach us about the limitations of our so-called “high minded beliefs” and we will need to examine our closed minds.  We can expect some suffering from this.  Some religious beliefs lead to the killing of humanity and the planet.  Hopefully Saturn in Sagittarius will bring some awakening to all of us.  Big headedness about what is right and wrong is on the agenda now.  On the individual level, each of us will need to examine where our beliefs keep us closed off from seeking the truth, because ultimately Sagittarius is about the search for truth.  The problem is we all think our truth is the only truth. How do we reach consensus about “the truth?” I don’t think that will happen in two and one half years (a Saturn transit through a sign), but hopefully we will reach some agreements about how to live with our differences and our differing beliefs.  Of course, if you were born under the sign of Sagittarius, Saturn will be a big player in your life for a couple of years.  But we all have Sagittarius somewhere in our horoscope.  All of us will be examining what we believe and whether or not what we believe stands up to scrutiny in a very complicated world.