Wow. Just wow. January 2020: a month astrologers have literally been talking about for years in advance and the rest of us will be talking about for years to come. It is with much trepidation and consideration that I write this message. I struggle to inform but not scare anyone. What’s up? A whole lot.
There are three, yes 3, significant cosmic events occurring on the same weekend. The veil is ripped from our eyes, and our lives. It is a moment of stark, definitive endings to make way for the new. We stand naked on the other side, stripped of all pretenses and defenses. Sound dramatic, even melodramatic? Perhaps.
I’m sure you’ve noticed what is happening in your own life and in those around you. This is no accident. There are no coincidences. The weekend of January 10-11 is the point of no return. After which, the die is cast. So let’s break it down.
Leftover from December, a dominance of Capricorn energy crowds our plates: five planets (plus Ceres if you, like the astronomers count it as a planet) cycle through authoritarian, cold-as-ice, diligent Capricorn. Get the work done and don’t mess around doing it, Capricorn. Yes, that one. Generous Jupiter has now shifted out of its home sign, philosophical Sagittarius and joined heavy weights Pluto and Saturn. The seriousness of our lives, what is at stake, is gargantuan. The BIG THREE are joined this month by the Sun, our will, and Messenger Mercury: we are laser focused on our goals; or for those who cannot afford goals, concerned with simply surviving.
It is not an overstatement to say this month lays waste to everything unnecessary or non-essential in our lives, whether financially, psychologically, physically, etc. Capricorn is black and white, or in many cases, black vs. white. Color wars come to mind. Definitive and defining, life or death, your team vs. my team: here we are.
Capricorn takes us down to our most basic, rudimentary elements: what we have and what we certainly do not have, what works and what does not work. There is no more goofing off now says businesslike Capricorn. If you’ve been playing fast and loose with life, ignoring the rules, cosmic laws are here to clamp down and clean house. No more Mr. Nice guy. The illusion and pipe dreams of 2018-19 are shattered.
Leading us into the heart of the matter, Motivating Mars shifts into truth telling Sagittarius on January 3rd. The Truth shall set you free…as long as you are willing to face the music. There is no longer any place to run and surely no place to hide. Increasing light from the waxing Moon now shines into the darkest corners of lives, what we’d rather keep hidden, closeted away from others.
A week later, the cosmic switch begins to flip, starry dominoes triggered one right after another. Late on the evening of January 9th, Radical Uranus turns direct motion in earthy Taurus. Unpredictability is the hallmark of Uranus (the only planet in our galaxy that rotates vertically instead of horizontally). When it changes gears, anything, and I mean ANYthing is possible: the good, the bad and the curious.
As Uranus turns direct, it loosely aligns with Generous Jupiter which may be our saving grace as it affords silver linings in otherwise wildly unexpected circumstances born from its quirky angle to Mars in Sagittarius. These two do not play nicely when at odds with each other. An agitator, Mars in Sagittarius demands the truth no matter what the cost while Radical Uranus in Taurus breaks apart the status quo. The question leading into the Full Moon is not can we handle the truth (because it’s there whether we like it or not); it is how do we best handle the truth in the bald face of it? In short: where do we go from here?
Uranus direct motion sets the stage for the next two cosmic tricks. Stand back and behold.
Once every 36-37 years the two heavyweights Pluto and Saturn come together. Pluto, the god of the underworld, titan of transformation, and taskmaster Saturn, lord of dharma and karma combined in any sign is enormously dense and intense. The last time this occurred was November 1982 in Libra. Where were you then and what were you doing? Libra rules relationship, art and beauty. The Pluto-Saturn conjunction of 1982 kick started the party that was the 80s.
37 years later, this is very different scene as the two join up in reserved Capricorn. We can’t help but feel the weight of this moment, with fellow titan Jupiter tipping the scales of immensity. These three make brutally clear: if you do not have your house in order, you will be made to get it together, the content, the people, the day to day operation. And when I say house: I mean virtually any sector of your life that is out of whack: your body, health, finances, home/dwelling, family, work, or connection to soul/spirit, and more.
Driving the message home on January 10th, the actual day Pluto and Saturn meet, Messenger Mercury, the Sun and Ceres pile on top telling us to get real and get on with building your life, or rebuilding in many cases. Step by step, one foot in front of the other is Capricorn’s superpower. It may be serious but it gets the job done as the architect of the zodiac, the master builder. What are you building in your life? What goal do you desire? Capricorn’s essence is achievement, plows through our task and to-do lists. It stands at base camp, viewing the pinnacle of the mountain, then pragmatically gathers all essential resources to make the climb: the people and supplies necessary to reach the top.
“You can do it, yes you can,” says Mother Moon in her home sign Cancer the Crab. The same day of the great Pluto-Saturn conjunction, the Moon opposes the Capricorn Sun to create a full moon lunar eclipse, the 3rd event of this cosmic trilogy. Eclipses are gateways and thresholds marking significant passages in our lives. The Moon is our only cheerleader during this rather draconian time. Yes, times may be severe, you may be surviving the harshest of conditions and working through the darkest days of your life, but I promise you, says Mother Moon, you can do this, yes you can. You’ve got this and I’ve got you.
In nurturing and compassionate Cancer, the Moon empathizes: “I know this isn’t easy, that it is actually impossibly hard, lonely work you are doing. But I promise that your investment of time, energy and money will pay off.” Kind words and tough love. We are in living in uncertain and uneven times, many surviving, not thriving. Like a new colt getting its legs underneath itself for the first time, we are learning first to stand, then walk. One day we will gallop. It takes time, patience and perseverance. All in very short supply these days.
The convergence of these three cosmic events within 24 hours is a striking pivot point. A strong lunar eclipse occurring alongside Uranus’ direct motion and the Pluto-Saturn conjunction reminds us we have more character and backbone than we ever imagined. That we each must stand alone and walk our path by ourselves, to learn for ourselves. We are always supported in our endeavors. And the full moon lunar eclipse in Cancer-Capricorn underscores that each of us can do the actual soul work we came here for. No one can do it for us and there is no escape from the work at hand. This tough love lunar eclipse says: no pain, no gain.
The Moon aligns to dreamy Neptune now, so we feel in the flow of life, intuitively understanding the next steps to take. A few days later, to soften the blow and provide a cushion to life, Venus shifts into Pisces on January 14th. A queen in a magnificent home, Venus is supremely self LESS in Pisces, like Mother Theresa and the Queen of England combined. For the rest of the month, Venus jousts with Motivating Mars. In Pisces, Venus liberally gives away itself and everything else including the kitchen sink (sharing you too) while Sagittarian Mars says Go Big or Go Home. You may find yourself struggling to say no, to find the brake pedal to slow down. Fortunately the three planets in Capricorn, Pluto/Saturn/Jupiter limits our spending and over-zealous commitments.
January 17th, Mercury shifts into Aquarius where it is most comfortable, naturally networking, connecting and inventing. Joined three days later by the Sun on the 20th, we look at life through a humanitarian lens at month’s end. What benefits the group also benefits each individual and vice versa. Aquarian Sun-Mercury breaks apart old stereotypes, out dated customs that no longer serve a purpose while connecting us to people, opportunities and lifestyle that suits our current and future interests.
The New Moon in Aquarius occurs on January 24thwith Mercury at an eye-popping degree. Watch for strong messages, surprises, plot twists and particularly keen awareness. At the same time, Venus, goddess of love, money and relationships makes her annual conjunction to big sister Neptune in Pisces. The pairing lasts through the final week of January, gently inspiring, flowing around and within us, uniting us and reflecting that we are one, collective body; even as individuals from various origins and customs, a common thread of Light runs through us one and all, belying separateness as merely an illusion.