PLANETARY ENERGIES

This article looks at:

The first New Moon of the year

2010 overview: What’s in store in this potent year

Key astrology for the UK and US

The 12 Signs in 2010 with advice on spiritual/personal development for each sign

The Year Begins

The year begins in astrological terms with the first New Moon, on January 15, which is also a Solar Eclipse at 25 degrees of Capricorn. On the same day, Mercury goes forward after three weeks of retrograde motion. Shortly before, on Jan 13, Saturn turns retrograde at 4:39 Libra. Mars is still retrograde in the mid degrees of Leo.

The New Moon/Eclipse is in mercantile, organizational Capricorn conjunct Venus and sextile Uranus while Mercury and Pluto are conjunct and squaring Saturn. It’s a mixed bag. The sextile to Uranus indicates surprise good news and positive blessings, but as Mercury goes direct square Saturn while both are stationary we can expect some bad news to surface, and as there are so many planets in Capricorn this will affect the economy.

The upside of all this Capricorn action is that it is a great time for getting our individual and collective houses in order. For many it is a very good time to get responsible and to sort out insurance, mortgage, and loan issues, and to consider new business initiatives over the month following the eclipse. At the political level we could see more plain-talking and less blustering and posturing. One can hope!

Certainly sudden wealth is a possibility under this New Moon with the opportunity suggested by the Sun/Moon/Venus/Uranus sextile.

2010 Overview

2010 is the real beginning of 2012. Much more than a mere introduction, in 2010 we see the themes of the mythic 2012 transition point moving to center stage. We are living through an extraordinary period in history, and right now we are in the eye of a hurricane of paradigm change and global transformation. The cultural, political and economic shifts happening now are deeply rooted in our long-term historical story and how that has shaped,  succeeded and failed our current needs. These fundamental changes set the scene for the next decade and perhaps for the entire century.

2010 is perhaps the most intense year astrologically that anyone alive today has seen in their lifetime. In 2010 the slower-moving, transpersonal planets make an unusual abundance of connections to each other with Jupiter still conjunct Neptune as the year begins, then Jupiter opposite Saturn, Jupiter conjunct Uranus, Jupiter square Pluto, Saturn square Pluto, Saturn inconjunct Neptune, Saturn opposite Uranus, and Uranus square Pluto.

Much of this action takes place in the volatile early degrees of the cardinal signs of Aries, Libra and Capricorn, and is further emphasized by two sets of eclipses in Cancer/Capricorn in January and June/July. In late July/early August most of these major long-term aspects are close to exactitude and are sparked into potentially violent/transformative events by Mars arriving on the scene to conjunct Saturn while opposing Jupiter and Uranus and squaring Pluto.

Adding to the intensity are two factors built into our collective way of organizing dates and time. The first is that that many nations have sensitized cardinal points in their charts including China, France, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, the UK and the USA, so these national charts are coming under increasing pressure with the build-up of planets in cardinal signs. This is especially the case for those many nations whose birthday is on New Year’s Day, (which includes the UK) as Pluto moves towards 10 degrees of Capricorn (exact in 2013).

The second factor is that the equinoxes and solstices always fall on the first degree of the cardinal signs. The charts for these moments when the Sun is at 0 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn are considered to be markers for the quarter of the year that follows. With so much heavy-duty planetary action occurring at these degrees, each ingress chart for the quarters of 2010 is extremely intense.

2010 and the UK

Remarkably, in all the ingress charts for 2010 in the UK, Saturn is on the Ascendant (apart from the Libra ingress when for the whole planet Saturn is conjunct the Sun), and is also on the Ascendant for the January 1 midnight chart. So it looks like the recession/depression/credit crunch, call it what you will, is by no means over yet for the UK and that matters are likely to get somewhat worse before they get better. The long cold winter we are currently enduring is in itself a perfect mirror of Saturn’s influence.

The date for the General Election has yet to be fixed but has to take place on or before June 3. With Jupiter about to conjunct Uranus then, there could be plenty of upsets and surprises. Mars is opposite Neptune, and on June 3, the Moon comes along to join Neptune and oppose Mars by noon, indicating a good deal of change. So that fits the general predictions of Labour downfall, despite Jupiter cheerily transiting all Brown’s Pisces planets in the run-up to the election. A hung parliament is not unlikely, which would force a different way of governing, in line with Pluto upending traditional practices in the UK over the next five years.

2010 and the US

The US chart is also strongly influenced by this year’s astrology, with Pluto opposing the US Venus/Jupiter, and Saturn squaring these same points. It is a time to be fiscally responsible and humble, and not a time to push imperial aims driven by an outmoded sense of historical superiority. That just won’t wash any more.

Neptune and Chiron continue to influence the US Moon stimulating the desire for universal healthcare, which stands more chance than in sixty years of getting through the deeply entrenched special interests that obstruct it. Neptune is exactly on the US Moon (27 Aquarius) this year which in an individual often shows up as a period of identity confusion and a loss of energy.  Getting out of Afghanistan is anyway likely to be fraught and muddled, and the prevailing mood at home is confused. Some form of sacrifice will be required. On the plus side, a greater sense of spiritual purpose may shine thought the fog and begin to offer wiser solutions to global problems.

Barack Obama’s South Node is at 27 Aquarius, bang on the US Moon and currently being influenced by Neptune, suggesting that he is tackling problems stemming from the deep past, and also that there is something karmic about his current role in American politics. Presidential charts reflect the times in which they preside and Obama’s is no exception. His Venus (money) at 1 degree Cancer is very close to the US Venus and so is also being opposed by Pluto and squared by Saturn, showing him as the President for fiscally challenged times.

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The 12 Signs in 2010

Please read your Ascendant as well as your Sun sign if you know it. Also pay attention to any sign in which you have several planets. Please bear in mind that whole sign analyses like this are very broad and are an indicator only and are unlikely to exactly fit your specific situation. They should ideally be balanced by a professional reading of your own chart.

Aries

With Jupiter and Uranus conjunct in the early degrees of Aries in June, this year is potentially a boom time for you, with luck and good surprises on the way. Inspiration is your best friend, and your creative drive is high, especially those born March 21-25. In June, July and August you get a taste of the good things Jupiter will bring you in 2011. Complicating these blessings are the squares to Saturn in the early degrees of Libra and Pluto in the early degrees of Capricorn. You will be inspired but also stressed and driven.

Advice: watch and support your health because you will be so inspired you may be tempted to push the boundaries of your physical body to extremes; use your energy constructively; factor in times for tuning in to your inner knowledge and getting clear about what you really want. Then go for it, big time.

Taurus

You begin the year supported by the earthy Capricorn line-up that stimulates your desire to improve your wealth in terms of experience and knowledge. The long retrograde of Mars in Leo has been somewhat undermining since mid December and may well have brought anxieties about family matters, but this situation clarifies after March 10 and by mid-May the family should be in  better shape than for a long time.

Advice: Overall you are less troubled by the stressful transits of this year than most, and will most likely be in a position in which it is others’ problems that influence you rather than your own. Instead of worrying about them, do what you can to help. Turn worry into prayer. This is a year when you can step up to the Bodhisattva plate and be of service in a deeper way.

Gemini

Finally Pluto is off your back and you can survey the deep changes wrought in your life over the past decade or more, hopefully with satisfaction that you survived the challenges and have grown in wisdom. Saturn is giving support to your sense of deep purpose and your family and home life, which may well be up for long-lasting, grounding and grounded change. Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron are still supporting your spiritual development from Aquarius, and while Jupiter moves on into Pisces on January 18, the other two stay there throughout the year.

Advice: You have a lot of support this year, especially those born at the beginning and the end of Gemini. Take opportunities that present themselves for spiritual progress and material grounding, with gusto and optimism.

Cancer

Pluto is beginning to push you to transform your life. Whatever commitments you haven’t yet grappled with, whether they be financial, relational, physical or spiritual, are presented now. Existing partners get stronger and relationship dynamics shift. For many Cancerians, new partners are already here or on their way. This is your time to come into your own while in close collaboration with others, provided you commit to do your best and to work on inner saboteur complexes and weaknesses. At the same time, the two pairs of eclipses in Cancer/Capricorn highlight the need to shed the old and embrace the new. Mid January, late March, late June and mid July are big periods for you in terms of change. Jupiter and Uranus in Pisces during the first half of the year and again in September-December, protect you, help grow your career, and bring spiritual insight.

Advice: You are in a powerful phase of transformation. Grab this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with both hands and shape your life into its best-ever-yet condition. Embrace new ways of doing relationship; investigate power dynamics with optimism and clear sight; and open to the possibility that you can find true happiness with another, after all.

Leo

The long Mars retrograde through Leo that began in mid-December may have you feeling as if you are wading through sludge, but this is a great time (until mid-May) to rework and revise old issues to completion, freeing you up for the brand new impulses that come in the summer. The Jupiter/Uranus conjunction supports your spiritual development from midsummer on, inspiring you to reach new levels of philosophical understanding. This is also a highly creative time for you, with most of the planets that are giving other people trouble shining on you with benevolence.

Advice: Support your spiritual growth this year with physical rejuvenation: cleanses, fasts and exercise, especially yoga. Allow time for creative expression. Use the first half of the year to rework old material and to complete projects.

Virgo

At long last, the pressure you been under for the past fifteen years from Pluto in Sagittarius, severely aggravated since 2007 by Saturn in Virgo, has lifted. You are entering a long term phase in which you feel more supported, inwardly and outwardly (although there may be a few anxious moments in April-July, when Saturn goes back for a last gasp in Virgo which may be undermining). No longer so inhibited by self-criticism, you can now turn your desire for perfection into carefully crafted work. The eclipses support your network, your friendships and group associations, bringing good changes here.

Advice: Creativity, romance and playfulness balance your life and allow your natural talents to flourish. Seek new avenues to express yourself in these fields. Your health may still be somewhat sensitive (Neptune transiting the sixth solar house) and this is a good time to explore the connections between meditative practices, emotional calm, and physical well-being.

Libra

Time to grow up, dear Librans. Any way in which you have been avoiding healthy limits will be hard to get away with during the next two+ years while Saturn transits your sign. But it is a brilliant time to get real, drop bad habits, create healthy boundaries, and take yourself and your life force seriously. The square from Pluto and the opposition from Uranus may make you feel pressured, and you are likely to feel demanded of by both partners and family members. Balancing their needs and your own will take your most diplomatic and fair-minded abilities, which luckily you have in spades.

Advice: Rejuvenation now comes from home and family, from tending the soil and getting as grounded as possible. Body-oriented practices like Tai Chi and Qi Gong will be helpful in balancing your mind and feelings. Try not to be too self-critical or hard on yourself, but do take the opportunity to clean up your act and move from self-indulgence to self-respect.

Scorpio

Blessed by benign vibes from the eclipses and from Pluto, your ability to connect and feel met and inspired is heightened this year. Your sangha, your spiritual family, is there for you, and you may become involved with a new group or teacher. There is new energy available in your communication with those in your immediate vicinity and with those brothers and sisters (blood or friendship) on whom you rely for a deep sense of connection. Saturn transiting your solar twelfth house means this is a time to give all you can to the collective before a new era begins in two and a half years time.

Advice: This is an excellent year for you spiritually. You are likely to feel more serious about your spiritual path, and to look for time out to spend in contemplation and retreat. Sangha–spiritual community–gives you a deep sense of belonging. Engage in purposeful practice to deepen your compassion.

Sagittarius

Finally, Pluto is gone and Saturn too! You breathe a sigh of relief, but know you have to get to grips with money this year. It’s all about the money: raising your income, doing what you are really here to do, not spending it before you get it, and clearing up whatever debris remains from Pluto’s reworking of your life over the past fifteen years, fiscal or otherwise. You are likely in much clearer shape psychologically, but a recent Saturn-influenced tendency to pessimism, most uncharacteristic for you, may cloud your desire to move forward (and may resurface in April-July for late birthday Sag’s when Saturn briefly retrogrades back into Virgo). Jupiter and Uranus conjunct in Aries in the summer will banish such reluctance to live life to the full and you will bounce back, full of zest and verve.

Advice: Use the inspiration of Jupiter/Uranus in your house of creativity to reshape your life, integrating more creative and fun pursuits into your daily routines. Before then, in the first half of the year, get your house in order so you are ready to make full use of the inspiration and reborn energy.

Capricorn

All the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) are up for major transformation with the upcoming T-square of Saturn, Uranus and Pluto, but with Pluto in your sign of Capricorn, no one will feel it as strongly as you. There will no doubt be pressure, but Pluto gives as much as it takes, and under strong Plutonian transits we can completely turn our lives around. Those born in the last week of December will feel this the most in 2010. The two pairs of eclipses in January and late June/July will also have a big impact and the New Moon of January 15 is especially potent for Caps, especially those born Jan 13-17.

Advice: If there is anything you have always wanted to do but lacked the nerve, this is the time to steadily work towards it. Grit and discipline are your friends and come more easily now. Partners may be unpredictable, especially during the June/July eclipse season. Steady yourself with daily spiritual practice and take the high road and the long view.

Aquarius

Many Aquarians discovered or deepened their healing gifts and spiritual inclinations over the past year when Jupiter conjoined Neptune and Chiron in their sign. The coming year sends your attention further into the collective unconscious and towards more clarity in understanding your role and place in society. There are big changes afoot in how you make and spend money, and abundance flowing your way with Jupiter transiting your second house. For those Aquarians who write and/or teach, the second half of the year opens you to new ideas and sources of inspiration. Saturn in Libra harmonizes your intent and your abilities, and brings discipline to your work and spiritual life.

Advice: Pay attention to your dreams. The portal into other dimensions is wide open for you. A daily spiritual practice will reap big rewards.

Pisces

Life is looking up! Freed up from the opposition from Saturn and the square from Pluto, you feel liberated from some karmic knots that at times over the past few years had you in despair. Hopefully you feel stronger now, having made some good, if tough, decisions, and if not, you are nonetheless in luck and in line for a lucky break. Jupiter transits your sign from January 18, 2010 to January 22, 2011 (with a brief foray into Aries in June, July, and August). Your sense of self expands; you have more confidence; Lady Luck shines on you. Pluto is influencing your eleventh house of groups and associations so you will go through upheaval here, but in the long run find yourself in groups in which you feel more seen and able to be your authentic self. Ways in which you have been sacrificing your well-being fall away and you start looking after yourself better.

Advice: Take advantage of Jupiter’s beneficence by taking chances (thoughtfully!) to expand your life. Both work and relationships improve. It’s a great year for travel especially of the spiritually-enhancing variety. Don’t overdo it, as under Jupiter we sometimes think we are superhuman. With Saturn in Libra you may come into some money, and anyway, it’s a good time to get serious about investments and financial planning for the future.

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So that’s the scoop for 2010. I’ll be back every now and then with updates on major astrological alignments and events.

In the last eighteen months I had three books published and was very busy with the attendant publicity, and thus had much less time than usual for doing readings. I am now back at my desk, writing a new book and making space most days to work with clients. If you would like to discuss getting an individual consultation with me, I would love to hear from you, so please send an email to admin@planetaryenergies.net.

Blessings to you. May you have a wonderful, enlightening, and loving year!

Lara