Almanac – January '10

“No rock so hard but that a little wave may beat admission in a thousand years.”
–Lord Alfred Tennyson

Tips for almanac use: All the aspects can be felt in advance of the date of occurrence. It is good policy to view these as due dates for various energies and prepare accordingly for one’s context. Some slower interactions can be felt a month in advance, so it wise to read ahead and ritual up.

When we proactively manifest these symbols then the world doesn’t have to do it for us.

So, January looks deceptively calm compared to December. This may be because we can’t really see what we’re getting into with 2010, for which January sets the grinding pace. 2009 was kind of the personally-paced cardiovascular warm-up before the long session with a brutal personal trainer that 2010 promises to be. If we are not already adequately primed for the coming intensity, then January is the month to ramp up the energy. If we have already pushed our capacities previously, then this month would be better used to recover some strength and adjust the pace for greater endurance. So much is promised if we can maintain consistency.

Mercury conjoins the Sun on the 4^th, marking the middle point of Mercury’s retrograde. Clarity has hopefully increased by now and the benefits of greater streamlining are becoming more evident. Now is the time to plan more practical steps towards efficiency and functionality.

Mercury conjoins Venus on the 5^th, stimulating discussions with friends and loved ones geared towards greater mutual understanding and appreciation. This will probably require forgiveness, openness to other perspectives, and patience. If things have been going smoothly, it should be very enjoyable.

The Sun conjoins Venus on the 11^th. We are being asked to relax into greater love and appreciation of ourselves and all that is around us; at the least for what we learn from it and how it shapes us. This entails giving ample credit to the Grand Designer for this awe-full existence and to individual beings for their quests.

Venus sextiles Uranus on the 13^th, shaking us up with some anticipation of things unseen. We sense the potential for greater surrender to chopping wood and carrying water, but we haven’t yet found that harmony.

Saturn stations retrograde on the 13^th, starting us on the task of fine-tuning that which survived the slash and burn process. Organizing and optimizing the core is the focus; this will involve working hard to integrate and internalize the recent shifts towards simplicity. Remain flexible towards all these adjustments and make the most of the now.

The Sun sextiles Uranus on the 13^th, adding some impatience in contrast to Saturn’s stillness. This combination allows us to bemoan the lag time between awareness and manifestation. However, it would be better used to inspire and help us honor the unfolding.

The Solar Eclipse in late Capricorn falls on the 14^th, giving us a fabulous chance to release old accumulations and renew ourselves. Times have been busy and challenging and this is yet another chance this month to acknowledge our progress and revalidate our determination to proceed onward. The other options are much less exciting: regret and overly-tough love. It is our responsibility to choose whether we live in the now or the ‘could have’ realm.

Mercury stations direct on the 15^th, initiating a few weeks of resolution around issues that have been stirred up since early December. This centers around life-goal issues and support dynamics; whether we are supporting ourselves while giving others the benefit of the doubt.

Jupiter moves into Pisces on the 17^th. This is a major shift that further symbolizes the movement away from 2009. Mysticism, music, meditation and psychic gestation are good ways to process and distill the last eleven years of activity down to the essentials, the gems. The focus is on how our belief systems, perspectives and trajectories have evolved and shifted, and the aim is to weave the many disparate layers of understanding into a united tapestry. Removing layers of confusion is needed to ensure that sections do not have to be re-stitched; personal biases projected onto the collective are generally the culprit.

Venus moves into Aquarius on the 18^th, lending a hopeful and idealistic bent to tough times. If the pure forms of inspiration are expected to manifest as such, then disappointment can result, but if we embrace the yearning of the physical towards those forms, then much beauty can be produced and/or enhanced.

The Sun moves into Aquarius on the 19^th, creating more of a need for mutual coaching and ‘team playing.’ We are not and cannot be islands in this sea of humanity, though isolation feelings can also never be eradicated for they are the base of the spirit’s quest. This dichotomy is always seeking to find a synthesis of individuality and shared humanity.

Venus trines Saturn on the 21^st, helping us to get or stay practical, diligent and level-headed. Revisiting our goals and plans and shifting them more towards practicality and adaptability is a good idea.

The Sun trines Saturn on the 24^th, bringing more emphasis to functionality and step-by-step progress. Life is a day-by-day equation and this aspect offers us greater alignment with this dynamic; but patience is required.

Venus opposes Mars on the 26^th, bringing intense energies up and out. Hopefully, we have been dealing with our frustration issues and anger in healthy ways and this will not lead to eruptions involving loved ones. If dangerous energies are sensed, make sure to take deep breaths and avoid pointless battles. If we have been self-challenging and letting go of unrealistic expectations of others then this could produce better connectivity and more fun.

The Sun opposes Mars on the 29^th, bringing out more potentially hazardous energies. Patience and proper channeling of these energies is very appropriate; perhaps a vigorous hike or some other cardiovascular exercise. Or go deep into personal projects and visions and blast through personal resistances. This is the crucial peak of the Mars’ retrograde, so rituals of purification would be appropriate.

The Full Moon is in Leo on the 29^th. This is a rather intense lunation as it falls almost directly on Mars and could be quite explosive. The goal is to have beautiful fireworks displays; safely discharged. This, of course, requires careful preparation, timing and placement. In other words; acknowledge it, respect it, release it and move on. Search out the beauty and be filled with it; everything else can be burned up in celebration.

Saturn squares Pluto on the 31^st for round two. This is the point in the remodeling when everything is stripped down and all the under-junk is exposed. We could either cover it up and leave that bottom layer there, or we could replace the rotten stuff piece by piece. While diving deeper into the recesses is not generally enticing, the cost of having to reopen things down the line is too steep. To shift metaphors; the real light on the other side is attainable only through the darkness of the tunnel. And considering the limited time that the tunnel will be open, our motivation to do what we can should solidify accordingly.

January has unique twists and turns that could disorient or reorient how well we are working with things. Staying focused and avoiding any negative externalizations is a very good idea; everybody’s busy trying to handle their own stuff and attempts at mixing things up could really exacerbate the wrong energies. Patience, forgiveness and not taking anything too personally, however tempting, are the ideas. Clearly, these are all easier to be aware of than they are to successfully integrate and manifest. But this seems to be January’s lesson.