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Review of JANUARY 2012
January seemed to be a month themed around
economics and money. The headlines were filled
with news and views on this topic, from speculation and
fears about the future of Europe and the global
economy at the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland, to anger and indignation about banker’s
bonuses and the apparent lack of corporate
responsibility or social accountability exhibited
by the finance sector when it comes to top
executive pay in the UK.
With a raft of planets, including the Sun,
Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Pluto,
all inhabiting or passing through earth signs for the
first two-thirds of the month, it seems appropriate that
many of us were absorbed by thoughts of material security
and issues of survival during January.
Interestingly, both the Sun and Mercury spent
most of January in pessimistic and conservative Capricorn
- the same sign as reformer, Pluto, which is set to
shake up governments and force the
rebuilding of social institutions from the ground
upwards, until at least 2024. As the ruler of
Scorpio, Pluto is also associated with the
attributes of revenge and retribution, so it
was interesting to note how many UK bankers were reported to
be feeling as though they were being made into scapegoats
by politicians and were victims of a public ‘lynch mob
mentality.’ These reports surfaced in the paper in
reaction to the news that the former chairman of Royal Bank
of Scotland (RBS), the bank that received the biggest
proportion of taxpayer’s money during the financial bailouts
in 2008, Fred Goodwin was stripped of his knighthood for his
role in the company’s failure.
The term, ‘scapegoat’ has interesting verbal
associations with the zodiac sign of Capricorn, the
constellation of the Mountain Goat, which I
thought was quite thought-provoking, whilst the word, ‘catharsis’
(used by one economics reporter in describing the current
political trend towards introducing legislation to regulate
the financial sector more, as well as place heftier taxes on
executive bonuses) is definitely a word synonymous
with the attributions of Pluto. Put together, it
strongly suggests that one of the side effects of Pluto’s
transit through Capricorn will be a systematic purging of
the corrupt elements within our society, including those who
have abused their position in order to profit from the
misery of others. This is theme that I have talked about
several times in the last year, and one which I think we
will continue to hear more about as Uranus and
Pluto continue to move in and out of contact with each
other between now and November 2013.
Fairness, or the lack thereof, especially when it
comes to the pay gap between rich and poor,
was also a major theme towards the end of January.
This could perhaps be symbolically attributed to Saturn’s
current tour of Libra, the sign that rules
fairness and justice. To many people, including
those who support the Occupy Movement, it seems as if
corporations, and indeed capitalism itself,
has for too long operated within a paradigm which
encouraged the rampant exploitation of people
and resources, for no reason other than that of
unbridled greed - a situation that is fast becoming
morally acceptable to many people. It will be interesting to
see if the ingress of Neptune into Pisces, the sign of
compassion and charity, helps to rectify this. Many people
feel that the time has come to restore some soul and
humanity back into the business practices of the West –
perhaps Neptune’s return to its own sign, could be a sign
that we are about to engage seriously with this process.
Neptune also seemed to have a hand in events
surrounding the capsizing of the cruise ship, the
Costa Concordia, which took place on the 13th
of January 2012. On this day, Venus, planet of
pleasure and holidays, made a conjunction to
Neptune, mythical ruler of the sea, in the final degrees
of Aquarius. Although generally considered to be a
positive blending of planetary energies, conjunctions
can sometimes be a little ambiguous, perhaps because
there is no telling whether the good or bad
qualities of each planet will be emphasised. In
this case, it seems as if the combination of the two led to
a serious lapse in critical judgement on the
part of the ship’s captain, causing him to steer
the ship off course, which ultimately had serious
consequences. The fact the Venus and Neptune were in
Aquarius could be interpreted as emblematic of an
unforeseen or sudden marine accident. In
addition, Chiron, the asteroid associated with
wounds and injuries, was also hovering near
to Venus in the early degrees of Pisces,
which might well symbolise the tragic and unnecessary
deaths of several passengers who never made it
off the ship. Just as an aside, when the Titanic sank
off the coast of Newfoundland, Chiron was also
located in the early degrees of Pisces and
Venus was in Aries, the sign of its detriment– a
coincidence? The accident occurred off the coast of Italy,
a country traditionally ruled by the sign of Pisces.
SOLI-LUNAR
PHASES
Over the course of a year, the
solstices and
equinoxes of the Sun mark
out the changing seasons, which affect not
only the beginning of different natural cycles, but
our moods and choice of activities; whilst on
a smaller scale, the Moon's phases make up the
time-span of a month. In fact, the etymology
of the word month, comes from the
Indo-European
word,
'me(n)ses',
meaning
"moon." 1
During
this period, the Moon also moves through the
zodiac, with every progressive full or new
moon cycle occurring in the sign more or
less following that of the previous month.
Lunar Phases
With the lunar phases currently out of sync
with our calendar months, the New Moon in
Sagittarius actually occurs in late December and we will not
experience another New Moon until the end of
January.
NEW MOON IN AQUARIUS
23
January 2012
Last month, we
experienced a New Moon in Aquarius on the
23rd of January. This signalled the
start of a month-long cycle during which social networking
and friendship-related activities, internet start-ups, the
launch of new apps and new political or ideological
initiatives or campaigns are favoured.
FULL MOON IN LEO
7 February 2012
On the
7th of February at 21h54 GMT (15h54 EST),
a Full Moon in regal but playful Leo provides
the perfect opportunity to conclude or promote creative or
leadership-driven activities, especially those begun around
February 2011 or close to the New Moon in January. Matters
concerning children, gambling, love affairs or holidays may
reach a natural peak. A promotion or business deal could
also be clinched around this time, thanks to a Sun-Mercury
conjunction taking place on the same day.
NEW MOON IN PISCES
21 February 2012
The New Moon
in Pisces on 21 February at 22h35 GMT
(17h35 EST) comes in the wake of Neptune’s ingress into
its ‘natural home’ - Pisces - on February the 3rd.
As a result, this New Moon will no doubt prove to be an
exceptionally empowering time for those keen to lead a more
compassionate, mindful and ethically-driven life.
Solar Phases
SUN INTO
PISCES
19
February 2012
The Sun
is due to enter Pisces at 06h18 GMT (o1h18 EST)
on the 19th of February. Soon after it
does so, it also merges energies with Neptune in the
form of a conjunction, thus absorbing the initiatory
vibrations of this seminal 14-year cycle, and adding
a subtle but glamorous if ethical
dimension to dramatic performances, marketing
and creative activities, as well as personal
or leadership endeavours that may arise during the
next month.
In traditional
astrology, the sign of Pisces used to be considered
the nocturnal domain of Jupiter, its day
rulership being of course, Sagittarius. Neptune had not yet
been ‘discovered,’ so there were only seven planets known to
the ancients. As a result, several of the planets, including
Saturn and Mercury, co-ruled more than one zodiac sign.
According to Ptolemy, the reasoning behind
Pisces’ association with Jupiter was as follows:
To Jupiter, which is moderate,… were assigned the two signes
next to the foregoing, windy and fecund, Sagittarius and
Pisces, in triangular aspect to the luminaries, which is a
harmonious and beneficent configuration.
Tetrabiblos, I.17
Essentially this means that Pisces is considered to
be a favourable sign, worthy of being ruled by
benefic planet, Jupiter, because on the zodiac
wheel, it lies 120 degrees (the degree of the trine aspect)
from Cancer – the natural home of the Moon. Conversely,
Sagittarius lies 120 degrees from Leo, the sign considered
to be the domain of the Sun. Natural the Moon’s natural time
is the night – hence Pisces’ nocturnal nature.
Planetary Events & Energy Shifts throughout FEBRUARY 2012
During
February, there will be a great deal of emphasis on
Neptune, planetary ruler of Pisces. This
is because of a number of things.
Firstly,
Neptune’s ingress into Pisces on February
the 3rd for a stay of 14 years,
picks up the themes first set in motion in April
2011 when it first ingressed into Pisces
on 4 April 2011 after an absence of 163 years. Since
then, Neptune underwent a retrograde period, which
saw it re-enter Aquarius in August 2011. Now,
as Neptune continues its journey through Pisces, which lasts
until early 2026, we can look forward to important
shifts in global consciousness, especially with
regards to our attitudes towards suffering and
death, religion and energetic medicine. We
may also witness large-scale events involving
sizeable bodies of water, such as lakes and oceans, as
well as see advances in creative mediums such as
music, photography and film. As one of the outer planets,
Neptune is generally considered to have more of a
transpersonal or global influence. If you want to work
out what its ingress into Pisces might mean for you, then
you should look at its transit through your birth chart and
consider what houses and natal planets it contacts.
Throughout the
month, no fewer than four planets will enter and exit
Pisces. Venus, already in this watery sign
when the month opens, exits Pisces on February 8.
On Valentine’s Day (February the 14th)
Mercury will enter Pisces where it will enable
you to adopt a more philosophical, intuitive
and inclusive approach to creative pursuits or ways
of expressing yourself. On the 19th, the Sun
follows suit, adding a personal dimension to spiritual
pursuits and encouraging people to incorporate esoteric and
contemplative approaches to their everyday life.
This month,
Saturn, the planet of both limitation and
manifestation, will also change direction on the
8th of February (depending on where you
are in the world of course). Given that Saturn is
generally considered to have a negative or
inhibiting effect on situations, many interpret its
retrograde period as a time when obstacles and
restrictions temporarily lift, and you can enjoy a bit
of breathing space away from heavy personal
burdens or social obligations. The ‘steady
planet’ as the Babylonians referred to Saturn, is currently
touring the sign of Libra which governs
relationships and business partnerships as well
as issues of fairness, equality and justice.
It therefore seems likely that between now and the 13th
of June 2012, any problems or delays that you have been
experiencing with regards to a legal case or
business/romantic commitment will temporarily recede.
Reconciliations or judicial reviews are also more
likely under this transit. Given what we noticed about the
relationship between Saturn in Libra and the theme of fair
treatment and pay mentioned earlier in my January review, it
will be interesting to see if the call for political redress
in relation to the role bankers played in the 2008 Credit
Crunch, as well as stiffer regulation of executive pay
becomes more of a focus during Saturn's retrograde period.
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