Midlife Transits

January 2010 marks the end of the astrological emphasis on Aquarius and your finances. Neptune will still be in the financial sector of your chart, fogging things up and influencing your tastes, but Jupiter leaves Aquarius for Pisces on the 17th. You’ll need to work harder for what you get this year than last. With Saturn in Libra up at the top of your chart, matters relating to your career or employment situation are on your chart’s mind, perhaps because you’re anticipating a change in finances.

Not to worry, though, there’s plenty of energy in your sign for the time being and it’s your birthday month. Not only is it your birthday month, but there’s a new moon solar eclipse in your sign on the 15th that is supposed to bring you goodies. It is part of a series of eclipses this year that are supposed to set you on the path you’ll be following for a decade or so. Jupiter in Pisces will be beneficial in its own way also, mostly in matters regarding your mental development.

As for 2010, it’s an unusual year. The only two planets that stay in the same sign all year are Neptune in Aquarius and Pluto in your own sign. Everything else moves around, including Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter. Usually things are a bit more stable.

In spite of the instability or perhaps because of it, 2010 is going to be a big year for many if not most Capricorns. Capricorns born during the first 5 days of the sign will have the most to deal with from the stars, but others will see big changes as well. Capricorns around the same age as Obama will see some help from Pluto, who will be their best friend during the year.

Overall, though, it’s a year when things can change so rapidly that it’s probably wise to check your horoscope at least every month. This may even be the year to get your personal chart done, so that you can have a shot at figuring out what the heck is going on. Change can be very exciting, but it’s nice to have some kind of map as to where it’s leading you.

No sluffing off in January! The skies are filled with Capricorn energy, from the sun to Pluto, and Capricorn expects you to do your chores. That means your homework, your housework, and your work work. Jupiter is moving away from dreamy Neptune in your solar house of wishes and into Pisces, where he’ll take a brief nap. The symbolism of this is to stop wishing, get your rest at night, and then get up and go get ‘em. Doing, not thinking, is the order of the day.

It’s kind of like you’re mountain climbing these days, in an astrological sense, as most of the energy is around the peaks of your chart. There’s even an eclipse in the sign at the top of your solar chart, Capricorn, on the 15th. This is the second in a pair. The first one, a lunar eclipse right at New Year’s Eve, occurred at the base of your chart. It dealt with the very basics of your home life, the foundation. If you didn’t feel a dose of energy in that sector last month, you may feel it in January.

As for the rest of 2010, this could well be an exciting year for you. Uranus and Jupiter will enter your sign, putting more of an astrological spotlight on your sign than you’ve experienced in a long time. The challenge will come from committed relationships, as Saturn in the sign opposite yours is likely to brook no excuses for failing to live up to your responsibilities in this area. It’s going to be quite  a year. Get ready!

One of the themes of 2010 for Taurus is changes in employment matters (and therefore probably changes in financial matters). Saturn is in your employment sector, and January starts out with Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron in your career sector. Jupiter will leave that sector mid-month, and that could precipitate a change in your career status, hopefully a pleasant one. That doesn’t mean that your daily experience of your job is likely to be easy; Saturn indicates that you need to either work hard or attend to problems on the job.

If you employ others, your workers are likely to need extra attention not only this month, but throughout the year. Taurus folks who have been laid off may finally get a job as the economy upticks. On other hand, Taureans who are already employed may need to work extra hard to keep their boats floating in these rather uncertain seas.

On a more abstract level, this month focuses on your understanding of life. Your chart is starting to put some of the pieces of the puzzle together, connecting what were once separate ideas. Around the time of the eclipse on the 15th, a lightbulb may go on in your mind. This trend continues throughout 2010, making this a year that could see quite a lot of mental growth for you.

Some of you will also find yourselves doing more traveling than usual. Yet others will be motivated to sign up for some sort of serious program of study.

January is Capricorn month. That means there’s an emphasis of the basics of everyday survival for everyone. Party time is over. An eclipse on the 15th highlights this theme. Attend to business, especially in joint financial matters, as the overall economic outlook is still rather difficult. Your ruler Mercury is also retrograde in this same sector of your chart that deals with marital finances, until right around the time when the eclipse takes place. This indicates that a reversal could take place mid-month. Hopefully, it would be a positive reversal, such as your spouse’s financial situation unexpectedly improving.

After the 19th, the emphasis shifts slightly to the less difficult energy of Aquarius, as the sun moves into that sign. In your solar chart, Aquarius is the sign that represents your beliefs, your spiritual practice, even your daily rituals. Time to get back to your meditation routine or whatever similar practice you use to calm your mind.

At the very end of the month, there’s a full moon in the creative sign of Leo. Leo in your solar chart represents skills, crafts, and daily self-expression. This would be a great time to complete a creative project or to indulge in some artistic play, just for yourself.

As for the year ahead, it’s a good one for Geminis with a scientific or technical bent (which many of you have). Energy in Capricorn, Aries, and Libra puts a focus on the more rational elements of life at which you excel.

It is what it is. 2010 is a year of changes for Cancer, changes that will happen on their own timetable. Let’s take a look at some of them. Jupiter will move from Aquarius to Pisces this year on the 17th, although sun in Aquarius will keep the Aquarian theme going into February. This heralds changes in joint or marital finances.

On the 15th, there’ll be an eclipse in Capricorn, the sign opposite yours. There was an eclipse in Cancer at the very end of December. This pair suggests changes in relationships, perhaps major changes, such as getting married or engaged. Mercury is also in your relationships sector all month. He goes from retrograde to direct motion right around the time of the eclipse. If things do not seem all that promising when it comes to relationships at the beginning of the month, take heart. That can change quickly at mid-month.

The other moon event of the month is a full moon in Leo, the sign of children, at the very end of January. This could bring minor changes in personal finances or matters relating to your own children.

The big themes of the year have to do with those aforementioned relationships, which are scheduled for something of a transformation, and an emphasis on your solar sector of travel abroad and then changes in your career. The emphasis on travel begins right away. Stay tuned for developments on the career front in the summer.

How to get a job or how to keep a job. Those are the questions for January. There’s an eclipse in your job sector on January 15th. Eclipses can work so quickly that you end up saying to yourself ‘how did that happen?’ This is a new moon solar eclipse, good news for those of you who have been job-hunting for awhile. You may finally get the job you need.

Mercury is in this same job sector of your chart all month, and he switches from retrograde motion to direct right around the time of the eclipse. If things feel like they are going south at the beginning of the month, take heart, they can turn around on a dime in the middle.

But wait, there’s more. Venus is also in your job sector until the 18th, increasing the chances that you’ll get some sort of a gift or present from the universe in the job-related sector of your life.

At the end of the month, your annual full moon takes place. This can be a bit depleting, so you may want to stay home on the 30th, especially if mid-month was exciting and fast-paced.

As for the year ahead–well, let’s just talk about the first 6 months for now. You’ve got great energy from Mars in your own sign until June, plus, you’ve got Jupiter in the sector of your chart that deals with non-ordinary income. That means things like benefits, pensions, annuities, insurance payouts, royalties, etc. It seems that you’re about to get some sort of money somehow. That’s pretty good news. In fact, you’ve got one of the best year ahead outlooks of any of the signs. Be glad. I’m sure you deserve it.

This month, there’s a dust-up between Saturn in your solar second house and Pluto in your solar 5th house. Saturn in the 2nd relates to money. It means (most often, not always) reduced income or the need to make serious purchases, such as buying a car. This  trend has been in effect since October, so some of you have already made a big purchase.

The 5th house represents pleasure, kids, love, creativity. The dust-up indicates that your financial obligations are at odds with your desire to enjoy yourself. On the one hand, there’s an eclipse in this same 5th house that indicates the possibility of new love or a fresh start in some creative or pleasurable area of your life, especially since happy Jupiter is entering your 7th house of relationships. Indeed, a major theme for all of 2010 is relationships.

On the other hand, there’s a long-term trend toward financial pressure, as Uranus is now bearing down on your 8th house of debt, preparing to enter there in June. I suppose the message is enjoy yourself now, but prepare for the future and look to managing your expenses, even if you do fall in love this month! Finally, a reminder that Mars in Leo has got your subconscious mind vrooming along with energy. You may want to keep a dream journal or record your inspirations.

As for 2010, if you can keep a clear head when it comes to relationships and money–you should do all right.

This month, there’s a lot of energy in the sign of Capricorn. That’s the sign that cares about all those practical new year things like paying off your holiday bills. Money may be a little tighter than it was last year, thanks to Saturn in your sign, but things should be manageable. There’s a solar eclipse this month in the part of your chart that relates to home and family; something new is brewing there. It’s possible that you’ll get some ideas for dressing up your residence a little bit or making it more comfortable.

Conditions at work should be improving, and your social life looks to be hopping all the way through June. Libras involved in freelance work in creative occupations may see a decline in receipts this year, as economically beneficial Jupiter leaves your 5th house of creativity on the 17th. By the same token, Libras who’ve been spending a lot of money on their kids should see expenses ease. Expenses and receipts should both go up for those who hold regular hourly or salaried jobs as Jupiter makes this switch. Regardless of your own personal circumstances, Saturn in your sign asks you to watch your pennies. Small amounts add up, and if you are careful about the small things, you should be able to afford the big ones.

As for 2010, the most exciting trend is likely to be Uranus finally leaving Pisces and your work sector for awhile this year. He’ll enter the sign opposite yours and will focus on your relationships. You’ll do a lot of growing in this area, but you’ll probably be glad to get a break from the pressure your sign has been feeling on the job for quite awhile.

There are two different areas of focus in January for Scorpio. One is the little stuff, the stuff of daily life and the ordinary business of life. You may see a subtle or large shift in everyday matters around the time of the eclipse on January 15. It would be the structure of your activities that would be most affected. If your daily life is not affected, relationships with siblings, neighbors, or extended family relatives (cousins, etc.) may be.

The other focus has to do with residence and property matters, as Jupiter leaves your home sector on January 17. Scorpios who have been searching for a place to buy or an apartment to rent could get a lucky break this month. Some of you will also want to finish up home improvements before Jupiter leaves this area of your chart.

Career matters continue to be important, although there aren’t likely to be major new developments. This is a time to pay your dues in your career and keep momentum going.

As for your 2010, one big change starts this month when Jupiter moves into Pisces. This is likely to bring happy events, perhaps a new love affair, plans for children, progress on a creative project, or something else that you enjoy. In the summer, the focus switches to employment and health-related matters, but that’s a ways off, so we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

January is mostly a very common sense month. It’s all about the practical decisions of daily life. For Sagittarius, this includes decisions about individual and joint property as these are two areas highlighted for you in 2010. This month, some new energy comes in with regard to individual property via an eclipse in Capricorn on the 15th. Joint property matters were highlighted at the eclipse of December 31, but some of the energy may be present this month as well. Use your natural intelligence in all financial matters.

On the other hand, your sign is also benefiting from the long stay in Leo of fiery Mars. This is more interesting to you because it highlights the non-common sense your sign is blessed with and highlights your prophetic powers.  Jupiter also leaves independent Aquarius this month, on the 17th, a shift that will tone down your revolutionary rhetoric somewhat. This shift also decreases the emphasis on language and words in your chart, as well as on public-minded or community activities. Hopefully, you have found some acquaintances who share your interests during the past year that Jupiter has been in this sign.

As for 2010, at last there’s some good energy in your home and family sector. Your home can now be your fortress, your refuge, your haven. If you haven’t found your dream home yet, you have until June 2010 to find it. Get cracking!