This winter is a season when we may feel as though we have found our solid grounding but with things developing to reveal a slippery slope. Problems, once thought complex and indecipherable, may give way at the beginning of winter to a sense of well-considered actions and final resolution. We may feel as though we have stared down the abyss and stepped away from the precipice with a firm structure in place from which to build our projects, our intentions and our future plans. An assumption of greater clarity can provide us with a roadmap by which we can determine our direction, devise our itinerary and feel as though our goals in mind can be achieved successfully and expeditiously through a best practices approach. What a wonder-full world! And it presents a nice concept in truth, a harder exercise in deed.
Although we may feel as though we can move ahead with our goals and our ambitions during the early part of winter, we do need to keep in mind the unanticipated variables and unexpected situations that could arise to throw us off kilter, knock us for a loop and demand that we be always thinking on our feet, engaging awareness and mindfulness with the willingness to be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstance. Welcome to the twenty-first century, welcome to the new world order, welcome to 2013.
Although we need to keep our wits about us, there are likely to be times when we are caught up in the distractions and confusions of mass stimuli. We may move ahead with great intentions, seeking to develop our interests and reach for the stars. Life, however, may get in our way, throwing us curve balls, even knuckle balls, forcing us to ever be on our toes, flexible and adaptable to whatever comes our way, and always keeping in mind that we are living during times when what seems to be going on may be merely a mirage, an image of reality, but truly not the real thing.
While we might be looking at creating the structure and the format in the early part of winter, we are also likely to be focusing on our resolutions for the year ahead.
2013 is an interesting year, although somewhat akin to the Chinese proverb that some call a curse: ‘May you live in interesting times’. In deed we do. 2013 in numerology is a master year the 33, reminiscent of the christed consciousness alluded to in Christian religion through the stories of Jesus the Christ.
2013 is a year of transformation, a year of deep and radical change both for ourselves and for society at large.
The beginning of the winter season at the time of the winter solstice on the 21st has the Sun moving into Capricorn ending the Stellium of three or more planets in Sagittarius. With the Sun entering Capricorn, we now have a Stellium of three or more planets in the Cardinal Earth Sign as the Sun joins Mars and Pluto in Capricorn.
With Capricorn and Saturn emphasized during the latter part of December we may find ourselves in a paradoxical situation. On one hand, we may be enjoying the holidays, taking time to step away from our daily routine functions and celebrating in good spirits with friends and colleagues. On the other hand, we may be considering how best to proceed with our goals and our ambitions, especially under a potentially changing landscape and altered backdrop to our operations. Maintaining vigilance all the while that we are enjoying this time of year may be our intention and would serve as good preparation for a modus operandi necessary to successfully navigate the swirling currents of the next few years.
The 22nd of December has the Sun sextile Neptune and Venus opposed Jupiter. This paradox of visionary focus and pleasurable indulgence can be in play at this time. It is not a question of caroming from one to the other but rather a blend, or integration, whereby we enjoy ourselves fully but keep our eye on the ball of the true circumstances operating around us.
Even social interactions can serve to benefit our interests, our ambitions and our planned projects. We do not have to be manipulative or seeking to take advantage of other people. Instead, we can look to create win-win scenarios under a best practices approach of being resourceful and determined to realize our goals.
The 25th – 26th has the Sun square Uranus and Mars entering Aquarius and exiting Capricorn, thereby ending the Stellium of three planets in Capricorn briefly until Mercury enters Capricorn on the 31st recreating the Capricorn Stellium. A desire to push ahead into new frontiers, to be free and independent and more autonomous in all our dealings can give us a sense of fresh air, but we do have to be wary not to seek change solely for the sake of change with all the liable collateral damage that could ensue. New interests and new activities may be called for and might whet our appetite to be more individualistic, more iconoclastic, more our own person.
While such a sentiment could foster a sense of the rebel without a cause, fortunately the 26th also has Saturn sextile Pluto. If we don’t jump the gun, run off without checking our direction or our itinerary, then we can devise a strategy that is clean, purposeful and focused for us to advance our interests and move forward with our greatest ambitions.
The Cancer Full Moon on December 28th asks us to blend our personal interests with our communal responsibilities. Although the instigation to throw baby out with bath water, to drop everything and begin anew, may be strong, we can draw upon our past experiences, our lessons learned and the skill set we have developed to proceed in new directions with confidence, optimism and resolute determination.
Following on the Cancer Full Moon on the 28th, the Sun conjuncts Pluto and the Sun sextiles Saturn on the 30th. The month of December and the year of 2012 end with Mercury entering Capricorn and a crescendo as Mars sextiles Uranus on the 31st – 1st of January.
We are ready for a new world and we enlist it as we enter 2013. The 1st of January feels the influence of the Mars sextile Uranus and this day’s Mercury sextile Neptune. We can think outside the box, listen to the inner voice of our intuition and recognize that we do not have to do it all but, instead, be open to the unexpected, those unanticipated variables that can arise out of the blue and provide both clues as to our next best step and even surprising opportunities for us to pursue.
Although we start the new year with a burst of energy, a focus on what could be, we have to realize that, similar to the unleashing of the Hindu goddess Kali, once we open to the new we are no longer in a position to solely rely on the familiar and secure but rather have unleashed forces that may have their own trajectory, their own influence and may demand our willingness to alter and change according to the shifting conditions around us.
On the 3rd of January, Mercury squares Uranus. This energy configuration is my least favorite for air travel and for clear communications. This is a day when edicts can be handed down, restrictive and individually limiting but presented as candy and sweetness. It would be wise for us to stay highly attuned, read between the lines and get a sense of the sentiments behind statements and decisions.
For on the 4th, we could be off at it again, going full speed ahead without fully appreciating what the limitations to our intentions might be. Mars trines Jupiter on the 4th and we could easily gloss over any rules and regulations and do what we wish to do based upon a cursory understanding of what the conditions might be.
The push pull between brain and brawn can be witnessed on the 6th and 7th of January. The 6th has Mercury conjunct Pluto and Mercury sextile Saturn. Laser-like focus can cut to the core, create a best practices approach and find the most expeditious format and means to accomplish our goals. The 7th, however, could have us tearing it all down as Mars squares Saturn. Although we may have reasoned things out, devised a clear and good strategy, the sense of pushing the envelope and forcing situations could make our plans like a house of cards, all fall down.
Venus enters Capricorn on the 8th and we now have four planets in Capricorn with Venus joining the Sun, Mercury, and Pluto. This heavy emphasis of Capricorn is further accentuated by the Capricorn New Moon on the 11th, thereby influencing the next two weeks.
The Capricorn transiting planets square Uranus and sextile Neptune. This occurs in December with the Sun sextile Neptune on the 21st – 22nd, and the Sun square Uranus on the 25th – 26th. Mercury sextiles Neptune on December 31st – 1st of January, and Mercury squares Uranus on the 3rd. Venus sextiles Neptune on the 9th – 10th of January, and Venus squares Uranus on the 12th.
Our intuitive sense and a feeling of our Manifest Destiny can be strong, but we have to restrain our impulse to do what we want according to the way we want to do it and the time in which we want to do it. Finesse needs to take the place of belligerent self-assertiveness. This early part of the winter plays to the sentiment that ‘you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.’
Even if our charm and grace has a self-purpose behind it, we could present ourselves in an appealing, even seductive manner to win people to our cause. Some people, however, are likely to be banging and crashing around, trying to win their ways through self-assertiveness but also liable to encounter greater resistance to their desires.
Let’s keep in mind that in this paradigm shift, we are not solely entering a time of serendipity and synchronicity but, possibly even more importantly, times when things evolve far easier by being in rhythm to the natural unfolding instead of trying to control situations, master circumstances and force things to our will.
The times they are a’changing, and the times have already changed. The art of tai chi, of working with the energies and flowing with the rhythm of the unfolding may prove far more effective than the obstreperous behavior of the past.
For the first half of January, the Capricorn influence would allow us to take care of what needs to be done, address the specifics and details of situations, tie up loose ends, all the while we are preparing for our future and our intended plans. We may have to switch and change at times, but constant evaluation and re-evaluation will allow the necessary fine tuning as we keep our focus on what is truly essential to us and to our journey towards en-lightenment.
Mid-January sees a significant shift in energy. If we have planned correctly, devised our strategy and laid down the foundation stones, then mid-January allows us to step across the threshold into the world of limitless possibilities.
On the 18th – 19th of January, Mercury moves into Aquarius, followed by the Sun entering Aquarius on the 19th. The Stellium of three or more planets in Capricorn ends, but a Stellium in Aquarius begins as Mercury and the Sun joins Mars in the Fixed Air Sign. The Aquarius-transiting planets will sextile Uranus, trine Jupiter and square Saturn.
Mars sextiled Uranus on December 31st – January 1st. Mars trined Jupiter on the 4th of January and Mars squared Saturn on the 7th. Mercury sextiles Uranus on the 22nd of January and Mercury trines Jupiter on the 22nd – 23rd, and Mercury squares Saturn on the 25th. The Sun sextiles Uranus on the 24th – 25th, the Sun trines Jupiter on the 25th – 26th, and the Sun squares Saturn on the 30th, the same day that Jupiter turns direct. The Leo Full Moon on the 26th – 27th of January accentuates the Aquarius energy.
This period, and especially the second half of January speaks to a sense of confidence and optimism in the future. This is a time when new technological advances can be made, interesting insights revealed, and possibilities thrown wide open, as even the once thought impossible seem now not only possible but probable.
In our individual lives, we can utilize this second half of January to accentuate our autonomy, find outlets for our creative self-expression and have both the self-confidence and encouragement from others to pursue new avenues and avenues that are far more appealing to our own personal sense of uniqueness.
We may have to bang against the walls of the past, our old beliefs, our acceptance of limitations and our identities of who we have been. But, if we are willing to stake our claim on greater self independence and embrace the true integrity of who we are, then no matter the discomfort of the stretch from the old into the new, we may find a new sense of being burgeoning within us, a sense of our selves whereby we put soul and spirit into action. The dissolution of the egocentric can prove highly liberating and allows us to come back into our selves, freed from the conditioning, expectations and definitions of our past.
This period could also see much tumult within society. The powers-that-be may be shaken as people stand up for the individual and people question governments, all governments, and question the consolidation of power and the use of technology to control and limit individual expression. The masks of compassion and caring, the costumes of deferential responsibility to ‘the people’ may be ripped away and true motives seen for but what they are — the old paradigm of control, manipulation and individual limitations.
As we come into February, the energies shift dramatically once more. We began the winter with a strong emphasis on the Cardinal Earth of Capricorn and the ability to ground our intentions with a best practices approach. The mid January period into early February highlights the Fixed Air of Aquarius with a focus on what could be and the embrace of increased diversity within groups and expressed by individuals. February through much of March experiences more of the Mutable Water of Pisces.
On February 1st – 2nd, Venus exits Capricorn to enter Aquarius and Mars exits Aquarius to enter Pisces.
Similar to the earlier Aquarius transiting planets, Venus sextiles Uranus on February 6th, Venus trines Jupiter on the 6th – 7th, and Venus squares Saturn on the 10th – 11th. Social occasions can be fun events with us looking to engage people different from ourselves in background, experience and philosophy. We are far more interested in people who are marching to their own drummer, embracing their uniqueness and walking their personal journey.
The Aquarius New Moon on the 9th – 10th also begins the Chinese New Year of the Water Snake. In Chinese astrology, this year speaks to transition and transformation. Just as a snake sheds its skin, the interpretation for this Chinese New Year suggests corrections to some of the excesses that have gone in years preceding. There may be various shake-ups and unexpected changes. Some of the historical events that have occurred during the years of the snake have been: 2001 – Terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; 1989 – Tearing down of the Berlin Wall; 1977 – Restoration to power of Deng Xiaoping in China as the Gang of Four is expelled from the Communist Party; 1965 – US Troop build up in Vietnam; 1953 – Josef Stalin dies, Dwight Eisenhower becomes US President and the Korean War ends; 1941 – Attack on Pearl Harbor and the US entry into World War II; 1929 – Stock Market crash and the Great Depression; 1917 – World War I and the Russian Revolution. Snake years promise snake-ups and shake-ups and extreme measures.
The movement in February of planets into Pisces, first with Mars on the 1st – 2nd, then Mercury on the 5th and later in February the Sun on the 18th and Venus on the 25th, ratchets up our emotions. We have to be wary of losing the fine line between service and self-sacrifice, and we need to avoid the no-win game of playing savior or martyr. The Pisces-transiting planets will initially conjunct Neptune, square Jupiter, sextile Pluto and trine Saturn.
February is likely to be a highly squishy month, with our sensibilities off the charts and precipitations with storm systems liable to be extreme, with flash floods and blizzard-like conditions.
Although the emphasis in February will be on the two Universal Signs of Aquarius and Pisces, there can be a great deal of confusion, too much information and a sense of overwhelm with all that is liable to be going on. This is a time for us to bump up our immune system not only to forestall the influence of whacky weather but also because our sensitivities will be strong with many of us being like dry sponges taking to water, soaking up the feelings and emotions of the people around us and the collective unconsciousness.
We may see a strong pull towards spiritual revival in February with many of the religious institutions offering solace and comfort to those despairing of the ways of the world and the circumstances of their personal conditions.
With Mercury in Pisces and Jupiter in Gemini, we again have a Mutual Reception, for in traditional astrology the 7 ancient planets rule two Signs, one positive Sign and one Negative Sign. In traditional astrology, Jupiter rules both Sagittarius and Pisces, which it now co-rules with Neptune. With Mercury in Pisces and Jupiter in Gemini, each of these planets is in Detriment, where they are uncomfortable and ill-fitting, and in the Sign ruled by the other, a Mutual Reception. The likelihood of too much information, miscommunications and misunderstandings is increased during this month of February and increased even further with the Mercury retrograde cycle through Pisces beginning on the 23rd of February and continuing until the 17th of March, close to the end of Winter.
As the Pisces transiting planets go through the Mutable Water Sign, they will conjunct Neptune, square Jupiter, sextile Pluto and trine Saturn.
February can be an anxiety-provoking month, whether we are on overload with so much on our plate that we feel we can hardly handle it all or we have the sense of merely being able to react, and not all that effectively, to all the curveballs thrown our way. Misinformation, disinformation; we may not know whether we are coming or going. Our decisions may be made more from wish fulfillment than factual data on which to judge the merit of any situation.
The more we can keep grounded, focused and not be diverted by senseless distractions that have no real impact on our individual lives, the less thrown for a loop we are likely to be in February. We still may not fully be aware of what is going on. It would be wise for us not to rush to judgment nor make definitive decisions without a backup exit strategy.
The mood swings can be wild during this February time. It can be a time of spiritual awakening, epiphanies of consciousness and startling understanding. It can also be a time when the hucksters are out in full force, persuading us convincingly of their ‘truth’, statements that belie reality and only serve to deceive.
People may seek forms of escapism, whatever the escape of choice might be. It would be suggested that we get off the track now and again in order to have a fresh perspective and some distance from the immediacy of circumstance. Doing so could avoid us from engaging other forms of escapism that might be less productive.
On the day that the Sun exits Aquarius to enter Pisces, February 18th, Saturn turns retrograde. There is a great deal of water, some of it stagnant, some of it rapid currents. There may be water, water everywhere with emotions all over the place — seething, percolating, boiling, vapid.
The tendency to excess cannot be discounted. We may desire a scavenger hunt, going from one situation to another, always justifying our movements and our actions as though some type of clue is being provided that will eventually lead us to a trajectory that launches us on a right path.
During this end of February into mid-March, we have to be aware of all the varied emotional dramas that might occur. With emotions all over the place, some people may be enablers, others the walking wounded. The recourse is to recognize that the ways of the world are no longer as they have been and for us to use these times to reconnect with our soul and re-ignite our spirit.
The Pisces New Moon on the 11th of March is the crescendo of this year’s and this winter’s Pisces influence with six planets in the Mutable Water Sign.
The heavy Pisces influence can provide the ability to strip away the veil of Maya, pull back the curtain of illusion, that thin boundary between dimensions, and to step more readily from one dimension into another. We have the opportunity of envisioning brighter days through better ways, all with a deep appreciation that we are not alone in making things happen. The paradigm shift allows us to work with the unfolding energies, to embrace the opportunities that are offered us, and to step onto the magical, mystery tour of serendipity and synchronicity. It is a brand new world, but it does not have to be a brave new world.
If we stay grounded and focused and utilize our intuitive feeling sense then we can also devise clever strategies and expeditious ways to accomplish our goals. Either we can be highly productive and highly effective by following our hunches and testing their practicality before fully engaging, or we could find ourselves nervous, anxious and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Either, or — our choice, always our choice.
On the 12th,of March, Mars moves into Aries giving a great thrust of energy and reawakening the promise of the impending Spring. We feel more self-assertive, aggressive and born again with the approach of the renaissance that comes with Spring.
Mercury ends its retrograde cycle and turns direct on the 17th, just as the winter season is drawing to a close. Our thoughts may be visionary, still prone to confusion but less anxiety-ridden.
This winter is a time to take care of what needs to be done, consider the prospects for our future and to realize that the world is a far larger space than that of our locality, our nation state, our planet. We can tap into the cosmic consciousness and be one with the source.
There is no fooling us, if we keep focused on the truly meaningful and stay highly aware of what is really going on. The hypesters and spinmeisters may still weave their stories, project marvelous presentations, and appear as miracle workers, but we are less likely to buy into the illusions, delusions, of the fantasy world. We have been there, done that, and there is no time for ridiculous diversions and mindless distractions.
We are willing to play the hand dealt us. We may readily see the volatility of these times, with various crash and burn scenarios operating around us, as being a dynamic that allows major changes and extraordinary opportunities to come about in virtually nanoseconds.
We have seen what has been and we can be committed to what could be. With due diligence and full appreciation that we truly never get more than we can handle, we can carve our path and engage our journey for brighter days through better ways.
Winter 2013-2013… past, present, future, all in the NOW…
N.B. For a more comprehensive read of my Winter 2012-2013 e-letter, please sign up for my e-letters at my website: www.frankdon.com
