The astrology as we begin the winter season of 2016-2017 provides us with the motivation for planning our moves as we enter into 2017, lining our ducks in a row, and drawing upon needed assistance from someone or those people that can encourage and support our dreams. Here’s to us dream believers who are looking to make our personal world a better place in 2017.
In the northern latitudes, the Winter Solstice is also the day of the shortest daylight. From the Winter Solstice to the Summer Solstice the daylight days grow longer, and so we see with the Winter Solstice in the northern latitudes the birth of the LIGHT.
The Winter Solstice on the 21st ushers in the winter season as the Sun exits Sagittarius to enter Capricorn and its energies mark the season. It shows a T-Square in the Cardinal Signs with six planets in the Cardinal Signs and a Stellium of three planets in the Cardinal Earth Sign of Capricorn. We start the season with the impetus of pioneers ready to launch new trajectories that are more in keeping with where we are now rather than where we have been before.
Planning is a key element of this early winter period. We can focus on the truly meaningful with an appreciation that we must maintain the attitudes of adaptability and flexibility. With unexpected variables as our companion, we need to realize that events have a life of their own and that we are co-creators with our personal unfolding and not the sole arbiters of our journey.
We may take some missteps along our path but there are no mistakes. Evaluate, retune and rework.
The evening of the 24th is the start of Hanukkah and Christmas is the 25th. Both religious traditions celebrate the LIGHT. Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights and Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus who would become the Christ known to many people as the light of the world.
The 25th of December has some spectacular energies as Venus trines Jupiter, Venus sextiles Uranus and Venus sextiles Saturn. This is a time to gather with old friends, new friends and those people who might just show up unexpectedly. We can look to the future, encourage each other and consider brighter days through better ways. This is a day of social engagement, whether we do so in person, on the phone, by text or any other form of connection for interaction.
On the 26th, Jupiter opposes Uranus, and Mercury sextiles Neptune. We might have to balance someone’s interests with our own personal interests. There is no need for a tug-of-war, especially in light of the fact that we can draw upon our intuitive sense to figure out how we can best thread the needle between what we want or need to do and what somebody else’s requests or demands might be. We could find that we have the right words and the right inclination to create a win-win scenario rather than a win-lose situation.
The Sun sextiles Mars on the 27th. Whatever ideas or suggestions we garnered on the 25th, and if we were able to move cautiously past anyone’s concerns on the 26th, this Tuesday of the 27th allows us to move full steam ahead in our planning stages. We may looking to advance our future interests, while seeking the support of other people. We may feel as though we’re on greased wheels, especially if we have been able to get everyone on the same page with us.
The 28th of December has the Sun conjunct Mercury and Mercury sextile Mars. We may be making our resolutions for the New Year, planning our goals and devising a best practices approach to realize our ambitions. We are looking to put our mark and imprint on our life’s involvements. Our creative juices can be flowing, but let’s keep in mind that we’re on the dark side of the Moon prior to the Capricorn New Moon on the 29th. It is far better for us to prepare the fields than to seed them. The more we can create a template and draw upon our inner knowing, the more likely we shall be in moving forcefully and effectively ahead when we choose to pull the trigger.
The 29th has the Capricorn New Moon and Uranus ending its five-month retrograde cycle. With both the New Moon in Capricorn and Uranus turning direct, we are far more attuned to taking machete in hand and carving our own path. We are looking for those areas of involvement where we can stand out and not just fit in. We are more interested in being the pioneer and adventurer than being a mere follower to consensus opinion.
This Capricorn New Moon influences the next fortnight up to the Full Moon on the 12th of January, which is after Mercury ends its retrograde cycle on the 8th. Therefore, we do not have to rush to trigger our new openings.
The 30th of December has the Sun sextile Neptune. We may feel that the plans we have devised for ourselves are divinely guided. We might even be coming to a recognition and appreciation of the paradigm shift where we are moving away from the linear sequential progression with the false assumption that we have had to make things happen and instead embrace that we are co-creators with the universe unfolding. Increasingly, we could gain awareness of the truth to “Humans plan; God laughs.”
Not that we need to give up making plans. But instead of carving our plans in stone, we may be more mindful of writing our plans in pencil with a large eraser at the ready in case circumstances, conditions and parameters change along the way.
The end of December may better serve us for clearing the decks, ridding ourselves of clutter and having our plan of action in hand. The year ends with a whimper, but we are not merely ending a year, we are ending a nine-year cycle and about to enter a new nine-year cycle as numerologically we move from the 9 year of 2016 [2 + 0 + 1 + 6 = 9] into a 1 year of 2017 [2 + 0 + 1 + 7 = 10 = 1 + 0 = 1].
Happy New Year!
The 1st of January brings us into a whole new year. Whether consciously or subconsciously, we might have the sense that we are not merely ending one year to enter into a new year, but that we are also turning a page and entering a brand new phase. Even if we have indulged the night before in celebration of the new year, we may feel gung-ho to get on with the promises that a new year and a new chapter in our lives offer. With such impetus and with Mars conjunct Neptune we might feel compelled to do something, virtually anything, but our moves could be more knee-jerk reactions rather than well-considered plans.
Let’s not rush into our new year. Instead, let’s consider our options and the ways to realize new trajectories we might choose to take.
The 3rd of January has Venus entering Pisces, creating a Stellium of three planets in the Mutable Water Sign as Venus joins Mars and Neptune in Pisces. Mercury sextiles Venus on this day, and we could draw upon both our intuitive and practical senses to plan our future moves. We might feel as though our personal destiny is unfolding, but we may still have to develop the actual template and the ways to fully engage the next steps along our journey. Our emotions are likely to be heightened with a desire to merge our spiritual characteristics into our everyday life events for the year that we are entering.
Mercury retrogrades back into Sagittarius on the 4th. Leaving Capricorn, Mercury also ends the Stellium of three planets in the Cardinal Earth Sign. The strong Capricorn and Piscean influence could have given us a blend of intuitive and focused abilities whereby we could have a sense of where we were going and all with a practical approach. With Mercury moving back into Sagittarius, a Sign where Mercury is in Detriment and uncomfortable, we have to be wary of basing our assumptions, our decisions and our actions on unbridled optimism with a confidence that whatever we put our mind to will be fully and easily realized.
Let’s remember the paradigm shift whereby we are no longer in control of conditions and circumstances [as if we ever were] but rather co-creators with the universe unfolding with a sense of asequential reality coming to the fore.
The Sun conjuncts Pluto on the 7th of January. We may take a deep look into what we intend to do. We could be soul-searching today with our focus on the truly meaningful regarding our plans and our goals. Increasingly, we are likely to engage the sentiment of quality of life as the underpinnings of our actions and our ambitions. We might also consider what image we wish to project. This is a day when someone significant could step away from the world stage.
It would be wise for us to delay implementation of our plans until Mercury turns direct on the 8th. Things can get especially convoluted when Mercury is changing direction, whether from direct to retrograde or from retrograde to direct motion. Although we shall be coming out from under the Mercury retrograde, we shall still be in its ‘shadow’ until January 27th when Mercury returns to its placement when it first turned retrograde back on December 19th.
The second week of January has the Sun triggering a Cardinal Sign T-Square as the Capricorn Sun squares Uranus on the 10th and the Sun squares Jupiter on the 11th. We may be champing at the bit to put into place some of our new ideas and some of our new interests. Not only may we feel impelled by our own desire to have greater autonomy over our lives and greater freedom of movement where we can put our personal mark and imprint on our daily life. We could also find someone encouraging us but we would have to be wary that their suggestions don’t have us going too far out on a limb. If we can restrain our impetuousness, take the time for due diligence and serious consideration of our plans, then with the right approach we could virtually move mountains. For the 11th also gives us Mars sextile Pluto and the determination and belief of infallibility to achieve our goals.
The Cancer Full Moon on the 12th is a Cardinal Sign Grand Cross with the Sun Moon opposition squared by Jupiter in Libra and squared by Uranus in Aries. We may have our motor running, ready to flip into overdrive and forge ahead. The 12th also has Mercury coming back into Capricorn and re-creating the Capricorn Stellium as Mercury joins both the Sun and Pluto in the Cardinal Earth Sign. Venus conjuncts Neptune. This Full Moon can be a highly productive time. If we are open to unexpected opportunities arising with a recognition that often our opportunities come about by ‘being in the right place at the right time’, then we might find ourselves more in love with our lives and appreciative of this new paradigm whereby we don’t have to do it all but we do need to be open to the magic in order to receive the surprising blessings.
Relationships now can be close to idyllic largely thanks to our being in a far better place emotionally and mentally than we might have been for quite some time.
On the 19th, the Sun exits Capricorn and enters Aquarius. In the process, the Sun ends the Stellium of three planets in Capricorn. The 19th also has Mars square Saturn. Although we have the opportunity of stepping into a whole new realm and could look to the future, some people may be stuck in nursing old wounds, tied to the past and looking back rather than forward. If we don’t let go of past grievances, then we could exhaust ourselves with little to gain. Letting go of the past allows us to embrace our future without the same baggage dragging us down or our being hampered by the ties that bind.
Venus sextiles Pluto on the 20th, which happens to be Inauguration Day of the 45th US President. Someone could prove an important support system for some of our greatest hopes and wishes. To indicate new beginnings, we might choose to do some sort of shakeup in our home or work environment that better reflects where we are headed more so than where we have been. This is a day when we get a greater understanding and appreciation for that person, or those people, who are there and have been there for us.
The 23rd of January has Mercury sextile Neptune. Our intuitive sense can be heightened, and we may be quite adept at saying the right thing at the right time to the right person. Even if we have been perplexed by a situation, the energies could provide us a certain knowing and understanding as to how we can best resolve the situation. This is a great time for devising our strategies and providing an emotional appeal regarding our projects and our intentions.
The Aquarius New Moon on the 27th gives fodder to some of the options and alternatives we might have considered. We are looking to engage greater autonomy in our lives and shed those involvements that may have served a purpose to us in the past but could be holding us back in the present and even more so into the future. Venus squares Saturn at the time of this New Moon, and we might feel held back by past connections or obligations we feel to someone.
This New Moon also represents the Chinese New Year and this Chinese New Year is the year of the Red Fire Rooster. First impressions will be significant, and it would be wise that we look our best and put our best foot forward. It will be important to keep on our toes for challenges will demand quick decisions and practical solutions. This year portends a year of hard work and patience in order to come to successful achievement.
With the New Moon impetus influencing the next fortnight up to the Leo Full Moon on the 10th of February, we can engage both our brain and our brawn to advance our personal interests.
Mars exits Pisces to enter its own Sign of Aries on the 28th, followed on the 29th by Mercury conjunct Pluto. We may have more determination and a greater sense of physical strength and stamina to pursue our personal interests. With the ability to penetrate whatever is going on and get to the heart of any matter, this end of January can be a time when we might be highly astute and have the self-confidence to advance some of our more meaningful activities.
As a reminder that we are in a paradigm shift and to possibly knock us off any high horse we might have gotten on, the 31st of January provides some curveballs with Mercury square Uranus. My least favorite energy configuration for air travel, this energy can create unexpected difficulties with travel, communications, Internet issues and computer problems. This energy also allows us, even demands us, to be quick and resourceful to unanticipated variables that can upset the most strategically devised plans.
February begins with a burst of energy. Whether we have launched new projects or merely been in the planning stages, we are likely to be champing at the bit and wanting to get on with our new beginnings.
The 2nd of February has Mercury square Jupiter. We may feel confident and enthusiastic about our plans. With the impetus to move forward quickly, we do have to be wary that we don’t leap before we look. Hopefully, we have made our plans, strategized our moves prior to our launch. We might still feel overly optimistic and could go flying off on a wing and a prayer. Any project initiated at this time needs an evaluation and re-evaluation before starting up.
February 3rd has Venus exiting Pisces to enter Aries, a Sign in which Venus is in Detriment and uncomfortable. The Venus in Aries triggers a Stellium of three planets in the Cardinal Fire Sign as Venus joins Mars and Uranus in Aries. Even though we may be in the dead of winter, we could be feeling very spring-like with a desire to focus on our personal interests, a sense of our own rebirth and a tendency to look primarily after our own self-involvements.
We might have felt as though we have been giving too much weight to the other people in our lives, often to the detriment of our own personal self-interests. This early February can see a shift in our attention, whereby we give less concern to other people and more attention to our personal needs. This change in attitude could be reinforced as Jupiter in Libra turns retrograde on the 6th.
February 7th has Mercury exiting Capricorn to enter Aquarius. Our seriousness of thought with a laser-like ability to cut to the core of any situation can be displaced by a futuristic mindset where we see the possibilities and prospects in anything and every thing. We are more interested in considering the far horizons rather than the focus on practical matters that we may have been giving since early December. We are more likely now to have our head in the clouds rather than our feet on the ground.
The desire to break free of past restrictions and the limitations of our past definitions of self to engage new trajectories that better reflect who we are becoming can be heightened by the Sun sextile Uranus on the 9th and augmented by the Mercury sextile Venus at the time of the Leo Full Moon, a Lunar Eclipse, on the 10th. We may feel a burst of growth and self-development, and a new sense of self awakening and seeking expression. This can be a highly creative time, and much of this mid-February period might provide the foundation of exploration, investigation and self-discovery.
The mid-February period can be the best time of this winter season, a time of expansion and new developments but all with a serious consideration as to what works and what doesn’t.
We may be enthusiastic and confident about our prospects but we are also likely to take our time in order to ensure that we have covered the basics and are developing our new interests in a best practices manner.
The 11th of February has the Sun trine Jupiter. We may feel emboldened by the confidence someone shows in us. We could feel as though a new day is dawning for us, new realms to explore and new interests to develop.
This combination of expansion but in a measured manner can be seen through the energies of this mid-February period, possibly triggered on the 9th with the Sun sextile Uranus and added to by the energies on the 10th and 11th.
We can show our more serious side, the practical application of our ideals and intentions, on the 14th when the Sun sextiles Saturn. We may draw upon our experience and the wise counsel of a trusted confidante to take the appropriate steps to expand our interests and pursue our new involvements.
The 16th has Mercury sextile Mars. If we are looking to gain the support for our projects, this is a time when we have both the presence and the right facts and figures to present a winning argument. We may have first been taken with a particular idea and we might then have strategized the means to achieve our goals, and now we can present our case with determination and foolproof specifics.
On the 18th, the Sun exits Aquarius to enter Pisces. Our moods are likely to be stronger, even hold sway when we are considering moving forward or tying up loose ends. We have a stronger sensitivity and may be more impacted by our environment and surroundings. While we are still concentrating on doing our own things and moving forward, there can also be times of questioning, considering whether we have the resources to move ahead and wondering if situations might arise that bring our endeavors to naught. Our concerns could temper our forward movements as we take times to go back and forth, playing both the invincible quester and the devil’s advocate.
Tempering our enthusiasm and our determination could also allow us to refine and rework any elements of our plans that we might not have fully taken into account. Also, as with any initiation, a project has a life of its own with various twists and turns as the project unfolds. This tempering can be a necessary component on the 20th and 21st when Mercury sextiles Uranus on the 20th, followed by Mercury trine Jupiter on the 21st. Insights, revelations and further information can streamline our efforts whereby we can be far more effective with less expenditure of energy. Clues can be given as to how we can best proceed and once given we may get something of a second wind with renewed confidence and less anxiety regarding the steps we are taking.
The 22nd of February might have us hitting the wall. Mars squares Pluto, and if we haven’t refined, honed and reworked some of our steps in our movements forward or become so self-involved that we have lost sight of the signals along the way, our efforts could come to naught. Whether we experience it personally or we witness it in the world-at-large, this period can be explosive, a time of crash and burn. We have to avoid being too pig-headed about what we want and how we want it. This energy configuration can remind us of the need to fully engage flexibility. This time is not a time for rigidity or fixity but rather malleability and adaptability.
The Mars energy may plague us through the rest of February so it would be suggested that we refrain from impulsiveness and impetuousness but rather to allow the dust to settle before coming to a determination as to what is truly going on. This latter part of February calls for us not to get so self-absorbed that we lose sight of the conditions and circumstances in which we are operating.
Whatever hiccup we might have experienced with the Mars Pluto square on the 22nd, the 23rd allows us to sort things out with Mercury sextile Saturn. Change is an inevitable part of the process, and we can use change to refine and rework our steps forward. The Mercury sextile Saturn allows us to draw upon past experience with a new mindset where we can implement new ideas and our future goals with a solid foundation drawing both upon our expertise developed from our experiences and our new understandings that have come forward.
The more we can accomplish prior to this latter part of February, the better it would be.
On the 25th, Mercury exits Aquarius to enter Pisces, a Sign of Detriment for Mercury where rational thinking can be clouded by emotions and feelings. With Mercury entering Pisces, we now have two Stelliums, or powerpacks. One is the Stellium in Aries with Mars, Venus and Uranus in the Cardinal Fire Sign. The other Stellium is in Pisces with Mercury, the Sun and Neptune in the Mutable Water Sign. We also have one foot in the last Sign of the Zodiac, Pisces, and the other foot in the first Sign of the Zodiac, Aries. We may feel betwixt and between, as if on a suspension bridge between our past and our future.
This is a time for us to go slow, but such a recommendation may be discounted.
The Pisces New Moon on the 26th of February is a Solar Eclipse and influences the next two weeks up to the Full Moon on the 12th of March. At the time of the New Moon, Mars conjuncts Uranus also on the 26th, followed by Mars opposed Jupiter on the 27th.
This end of February and through much of March can be fraught with misunderstandings, miscommunications, and leaping before looking. The impetus to do something, anything, may be so strong that we buy into the surface appearances rather than use due diligence to see what is behind the image.
We have to be wary of accidents during this two-week period and accidents triggered largely by our impetuousness. Even if people advise us that certain involvements may be like a dog chasing its tale, going nowhere except around in circles, we are likely to dismiss their concern. We may want what we want and assume foolishly that nothing can stand in our way.
If we take that route, then our journey can be a quick tear through brambled paths with various scrapes and stings along the way.
This period between the Solar Eclipse on the 26th and the Full Moon on the 12th of March asks us to maintain a jaded eye, not to accept anything at value but rather to take our time, slow things down, and consider all the ramifications we can imagine of our decisions and our actions.
We enter March both looking back in regard to where we have come from but also unclear about what our next steps should be. The Sun conjuncts Neptune on the 1st of March. Taking some quiet time, stepping away from the frenetic energies of daily life, would allow moments of introspection. We could give greater thought to who we are becoming and whether the steps on our journey are appropriate for where we are now rather than steps that merely re-create the past.
Moments of introspection could prove brief as the 2nd of March gives us Jupiter opposed Uranus. We may be back on the fast track, helping someone out or encouraged to pursue our next involvements. We may be more interested in action than reflection, but there seems to be an accordion-type quality to this first week of March.
The 1st of March allows us to internalize and contemplate, the 2nd of March has us back on the fast track but the weekend of the 4th – 5th provides time to both intuit what is really happening and once considered gives us the impetus to develop the beat means to expand our activities.
The 4th of March has Mercury conjunct Neptune. If we take the time to be quiet and draw upon our intuition, we can find the answers through our inner knowing. This is a time to listen rather than act. Venus turns retrograde also on the 4th. Relationships may have to take a back seat as we contemplate our next moves in our personal journey.
The 5th has Mars trine Saturn, and we can lay down the basic structure for how we could expand and realize our personal goals. This process of implementation is aided in the second week of March by the Sun conjunct Mercury on the 6th and Mercury sextile Pluto on the 8th, followed by the Sun sextile Pluto on the 9th, the day that Mars exits Aries to enter Taurus. With Mars exiting Aries, a Sign that Mars rules, we lose the Stellium of three planets in the Cardinal Fire Sign but enter a Mutual Reception with Mars now in the Sign ruled by Venus and Venus transiting the Sign ruled by Mars.
We might find ourselves less impulsive and more willing to take things step by step. The errors of our ways may become evident with the Virgo Full Moon on the 12th, which also has Mercury square Saturn. If we have deceived ourselves or made the wrong moves out of our impetuous actions, we may have to step back, re-work and correct mistakes made. Being resourceful and utilizing a best practices approach give us the ability to work effectively with less expenditure of energy. There are times, and this may be one of them, when we have to go back and rectify matters in order to move forward.
Mercury exits Pisces on the 13th ending the Stellium of three planets in Pisces and triggering a Stellium in the Cardinal Fire Sign as Mercury joins Venus and Uranus in Aries. Some of our emotional and even foggy thinking can be displaced by a self-assertive and self-focused mindset. We are more concerned about activities whereby we can take the lead and forge ahead. We are less sensitive and less reactive to the environment around us.
On the 17th, the Sun squares Saturn. It’s Saint Patrick’s Day, but we need to avoid burning ourselves out in celebration. There can be past connections with whom we are reunited and a tendency for us to step away from our daily routine. There may be nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, as outstanding matters call for us to tie up loose ends before the end of the winter season and the beginning of Spring, which astrologically represents the new year.
The 18th has Mercury conjunct Venus. Even if we are participating in group activities, this is a time when we are giving thought to our personal best. Winter is coming to a close, Spring fast approaching and we might consider our new springtime activities that we wish to engage.
Winter goes out with more of a whimper than a bang with us looking forward to the rebirth and renewal that Spring promises.
Winter 2016-2017… from the sublime to the ridiculous