Aquarius (20 January-18 February)
As the month begins, there are four planets in Taurus down at the base of your chart. These are the Sun (self), Mars (action), Venus (relating) and Mercury (communication). This puts the spotlight firmly on home and family affairs, your roots and where you come from.
This can be a busy and productive time for you whether you’re moving, doing DIY, catching up with family or otherwise engaged at home. However, on the 1st and the 5th, your ruling planet Saturn opposes first Mars and then Mercury in Taurus.
Oppositions are about conflict or finding it a challenge to combine different elements of your life. Saturn is currently in Scorpio up at the top of your chart ruling your career and vocation and as Saturn’s the taskmaster of the heavens, hard work and determination are the tools required if you’re to make progress. Responsibility and leadership also come under Saturn’s rule.
You may find that the balance of home and work life is under duress and with so many planets stacked in your home and family sector this may be where your priorities currently lie. An older parent, a job that doesn’t allow for childcare, feeling under pressure from loved ones about what you do; any or all of these alternatives are possible. Saturn oppositions can be a struggle especially if you feel duty-bound to act a certain way or know that what you should be doing isn’t the same as what you want to be doing.
The breakthrough comes on the 10th when there’s a solar or New Moon eclipse in Taurus. Up until that date, talk through the options with the people involved and keep the lines of communication open. Eclipses tend to close one door on you and show you exactly what’s possible and what’s not. At least you can put the past behind you, wipe the slate clean and begin again. Eclipses can be powerful turning points which give you a sense of renewal. You are mid-way through an eclipse cycle that highlights the work/home axis of your chart and until the end of next year you may have more big decisions to make so do the best that you can for now and deal with the big stuff one step at a time.
Once the solar eclipse is past, life begins to ease and how. The personal planets start to move into your fellow air sign Gemini: Venus is first on the 9th, followed by Mercury on the 15th and the Sun on the 20th. Gemini rules the sector of your chart that’s about fun and good times. Children, love affairs and creativity all fall in this bracket. This feels lucky and it’s time to start taking risks and make plans for entertainment and activities that you enjoy. Put the feel-good factor back into life and make the most of new opportunities that come your way.
On the 18th and 21st, Venus and Mercury respectively team up with your co-ruler Uranus. This promises good news or meeting someone new out of the blue. Take advantage of this spontaneous fast-paced vibe to ask someone out on a date or to organise a social get-together. Meeting new people feels lucky and it’s the joy of the unexpected that makes life fun and lively.
The real coup this month, however, is on the 27th/28th when first Mercury then Venus connect with Jupiter in the heavens. Jupiter, the planet of good fortune and opportunity, has been in Gemini since June 2012 and moves on at the end of next month. So this is the grand finale and the trio of planets that meet up at the end of the month are super lucky. There may be news of a pregnancy, a birth, a new love affair or a creative triumph. Certainly this trio of planets which will be visible in the night sky are worth making a wish on. Enter a holiday competition or buy a lottery ticket and try your luck.
The only shadow at the end of the month is a second lunar or Full Moon eclipse on the 25th and both the Sun and Moon square Neptune in your money sector. This feels deeply emotional and you may be saying goodbye to someone who’s played a key role in your life; a friend who’s leaving or a child who’s moving on in life. Take care financially on or around this date and don’t part with your cash unless you’re sure of what you’re doing. Neptune’s more attuned to fantasy than reality and a pie-in-the-sky idea may be just that, a fanciful idea.
This could be a key weekend for love too and depending what takes place you may realise that it’s time to change the way you do things, especially where money’s concerned. Don’t turn a blind eye if you suspect anything untoward. Be honest and seek out the truth. This applies to friends and children as much as it does to a close relationship. Eclipses can be exposing but they’re a chance to sort things out for the better so you can start afresh.
[artwork by Kitschensyngk at flickr.com]