We are ready for a new world, and we enlist it as we enter January and the new year of 2013. This is a month when we can accomplish a great deal, strike out in new directions but could feel occasionally tripped up by past situations still unresolved.
While we may look over our shoulders at past matters, it is important that we keep in mind our intention, resolution and the universe calling that we are not looking to re-create our past. We might draw upon our past experiences, draw upon the skill set developed from previous incidents, but we are not looking to go back.
We are far more interested in moving forward with the recognition that the safety and security of the past are but trace memories. Even if we could go back to past habits and familiar situations, the landscape has changed and in the process, we too have changed.
Although there could be times when we stare out at a bleak landscape and at the daunting issues demanding attention, some of which are matters that we have left hanging for all too long, this is also a month when we might encounter those glimmers of possibilities, those moments of magic and we can bear witness to those small miracles that indicate there is a better way.
The more we can be open to possibilities, the less likely we shall feel trapped by limited perspectives and narrow visions. We may have to march to our own drummer, but every journey begins with the first step. As we step forward to exploring new prospects for ourselves, new projects to engage and new ways of operating, we may find that the universe not only offers encouragement and support, but the universe also provides streamlined methods and easier ways of doing things.
The 1st of January feels the influence of yesterday’s 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 measures that are 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.
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 can 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. We are feeling confident and optimistic, but we may not be fully aware of the parameters in which we are operating or the conditions and circumstances with which we have to deal.
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 most effective means to accomplish our goals. The 7th, however, could have us tearing it all down as Mars squares Saturn. We might adopt an attitude that we just do not have the resources to accomplish our plans and achieve our goals. 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.
During this month of January, we have to be wary of putting on blinders, limiting our scope of vision, and accepting the old assumptions of our being in control of events and circumstances. We need to keep in mind, always keep in mind, that we no longer are the sole determiners of life’s unfolding. On the contrary, we are increasingly in the midst of asequential reality, a true reality where linear, sequential progression is giving way to unexpected variables, where things can occur in unanticipated ways and doors can open to us that we never assumed to be possible.
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. We can highly concentrate our energies on taking charge of our projects and plans, utilizing a best practices approach and engineer a flawless blueprint for realizing our goals. January allows us to move things forward both by means of our own wit, intelligence and perseverance and by help from the universe, what we might consider to be ‘luck’ but is truly simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time, also known as the synchronicity and serendipity of this new paradigm.
The Capricorn transiting planets sextile Neptune, square Uranus, conjunct Pluto and sextile Saturn. This occurred in December with the Sun sextile Neptune on the 21st – 22nd, the Sun square Uranus on the 25th – 26th, and the Sun conjunct Pluto and sextile Saturn on the 30th. Mercury sextiled Neptune on December 31st – 1st of January, Mercury squares Uranus on the 3rd, and Mercury conjuncts Pluto and sextiles Saturn on the 6th. Venus sextiles Neptune on the 9th – 10th of January, Venus squares Uranus on the 12th, Venus conjuncts Pluto on the 16th, and Venus sextiles Saturn on the 17th.
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 in January plays to the sentiment that ‘you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.’
Even if our charm and grace have a self-purpose behind them, 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, we are moving into 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 trines Jupiter on the 4th, and Mars squares Saturn on the 7th. Mercury sextiles Uranus on the 22nd, 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 accentuates the Aquarius energy.
This period, and especially this 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 of the second half of January 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.
Strong formats and greater consolidation may be the focus in the first half of January. As we come into the second half of January, the iconoclastic, individual, unique and autonomous take greater hold. The question that may arise in January is whether we have created solid foundation stones in the early part of the month, but foundation stones that are relatively flexible and adaptable to changing conditions. Or have we been prey to the control and consolidation by authority figures that are masking their movements in the name of ‘the people’, all the while limiting and restricting individual self-expression?
In our individual lives, we may be asked to question whether we have established a format that is a solid foundation but alive, breathing and able to morph and shapeshift both in accord with our own personal growth and in rhythm with any changing circumstance. Or have we too fallen back into the old and outdated mindset of controlling every facet and detail of our life’s itinerary thereby creating a rigid structure that is unable to shift and change in accord with the unanticipated variables and altered conditions? Are we dead to the process or alive to the possibilities?
January 2013… build upon rock or build upon sand…
