This week will probably not go as expected, but we can get organized and take advantage of serendipitous moments. Our flow of concentration and breaks unexpected agenda are introduced early next week as Mars conjuncts intuitive, spacey Neptune while mobile Mercury turns retrograde. Ordinary plans for travel, communication, and mutual understanding may break their stride and give us an opportunity to reconsider and find the missing pieces. Coming up we’ve got three weeks to review and reorganize, let’s use those to our advantage.
Now a Mars-Neptune conjunction, with Mercury retrograding, can be a tricky aspect. On a good day it helps us let go of outdated goals and old angers, we can forget what was so burningly important to us but is no longer relevant. It imparts a willingness to take actions based on faith and loans us ideological curiosity, sensitive understanding, and can help us release our escapist patterns. We may find it easier to forgive, though we may feel the sadness underneath.
In the practical realm this conjunction energizes (Mars) our dreams and intuition (Neptune) but may leave us feeling a bit lazy and permeable. It activates the waters, though can make us more prone to slipping and spilling. vagueness and forgetful ness can make us lose words in the middle of a sentence, or lose track of important details in the middle of a transaction, unless we track them carefully.
On a bad day it can intensify any ongoing fight (Mars) for religious beliefs (Neptune) or leave us unusually attached (Mars) to our illusions (Neptune), which is a little scary right now. It will be up to us to add the compassion, the visceral sense of connection which is the deepest gift of Neptune, and a willingness to see even uncomfortable truth with the bravery of Mars.
Along with this vague if inspired confusion, we may have a surplus of emotions. Look to the west just after sunset and notice Mercury and Venus (in Aquarius) and Mars (in Pisces) running together low in the Western sky. They will be joined by the waxing Moon early next week. Neptune and Chiron are also there, invisible to the naked eye but in the mix nonetheless. Venus and Mercury in Aquarius can be emotional, but rather abstract; people get all emotional over ideas, words, concepts, and their place in the community. Right now these two are opposed Jupiter in Leo, the planet that expands whatever it touches; all together they can make our heart bubble over like a part of porridge on high.
With this combination we want to feel a collective heartbeat and ache for the woes of the world together. Gatherings move our hearts, as we saw in Paris last week, and will see in America this MLK Day. But with this farsightedness we can miss the needs of those closest to us, or think we know their feelings better than we do. So let’s ask. We may need to be unusually honest, revel in our right to free speech, but notice that although we have the right to say anything, everything we say has emotional consequence.
Bubbling porridge can make a mess. We need to notice when we’re boiling over emotionally and step back, breathe, and care for our heart.
The weekend begins with a restless, relatively cheerful Sagittarius Moon and asks us to keep attention on the international stage and the great outdoors. We get cabin fever where we’ve been indoors too long, but the cure is easy; just ask a dog. On Sunday, the dark of the Moon in Capricorn can bring out our grumbles. We notice but we haven’t done, what needs to be done, which can help us batten down the hatches for the coming Mercury retrograde cycle: make sure bills are paid, tickets purchased, papers signed. It helps to make lists. Monday’s holiday still nudges us to accomplish a lot, even under duress or with distractions.
The Sun and Moon both enter Aquarius early on Tuesday and conjunct- just as Pluto squares the lunar nodes. This New Moon is a turning point that challenges us to shift our group dynamics, let go of relationships and attitudes that don’t serve, and make new connections that do.
Glitches thicken around communication and transportation as Mercury appears to hold still and turn retrograde on Thursday. Don’t push the river mid-week, work with finesse and attention instead. When old patterns raise their heads, don’t get discouraged or feel stuck in the past, because we can do it differently this time. We’re just up for another layer of our growth.
Friday, January 16: Appreciate this seriously restless morning as the Sagittarius Moon squares Mars and Neptune. Faraway beaches seem to beckon. We can feel fried if we have to sit still and just do paperwork; our mind and feet need to wander, and then can return to the job at hand refreshed. Policy questions arise, how do we understand the problem, organize a response, and proceed. Our priorities may be questioned over the next few weeks, stay on target but adjust as needed. Tonight, help free one another’s spirit from this week’s heaviness.
Saturday, January 17: Meander and roam as the outspoken Sagittarius Moon trines expansive Jupiter this morning. Not everyone needs to meander in the same direction, so split up and arrange meeting point if the mood hits, we need to feel connection and freedom at the same time. International news and world beat aesthetics remind us that we are a global citizen; explore the the joys and responsibilities thereof. People are farsighted today, but that can mean they don’t see what’s right next to them; don’t take it personally. Speak up and keep them informed.
Sunday, January 18: Reassess, reorganize, and search one’s soul. Look into personal cultural history for a fresh understanding of the moment, as our old ghosts can be with us and melancholy wafts under a waning Capricorn Moon. Wrestle with questions around dharma, check in with one’s soul’s true work to see how we’re doing, and what needs to be more aligned. Small accomplishments soothe the soul and help us prepare.
Monday, January 19: Our hearts swell and emotions spill over for the sake of the world soul today as Venus opposes Jupiter and Mars conjuncts Neptune. We may be personally grumpy and uncomfortable as the Capricorn Moon conjuncts Pluto, remember recent losses or questions around abuse of power vs. empowerment, but can feel better when we feel we belong to something larger than ourselves. We need to feel hopeful, then the work is worth it all.
Tuesday, January 20: The mood shifts radically as the Sun and Moon both enter Aquarius and conjunct. It’s an important day to reorganize our relationships, out commitments to our teams, and strengthen healthy friendships. Engage important conversation, and take notes about the work to come, even though everything may begin to slow down. Look for a path that is easier, less stressful, more collaborative. But watch out for misunderstandings, it’s easy to develop a theory and think we know what’s happening when we only have a few pieces of the puzzle.
Wednesday, January 21: Mercury retrogrades and our signals can get really crossed today, even where our intentions are the best. Our bad intentions will tend to backfire and blow up on us. Don’t run on the ice, don’t run into assumptions; walk with grace, with heart and mind connected. Scan surroundings for practical details that must be followed through upon, or people who really need help, as they can so easily fall through the cracks right now.
Thursday, January 22: We feel for the poor, the hurt, the downtrodden as the Pisces Moon conjuncts Neptune, Mars, and Chiron. But we may think that’s us as this lineup can leave us sensitive and sulking. Go ahead and be sensitive, feel the feelings and make life feel safer, but keep relative pain in proportion, and notice where the real work is needed.
Starcodes 