Midlife Transits

I said in this week’s podcast that the post-Christmas week would be pretty crazy and boy is it, at least for anyone traveling in the Northeast US. In fact, people all over the world have been stuck, stranded, inconvenienced and trapped by weather lately. Floods in Australia, chaos at Russian airports. Not to mention many parts of the US blizzardized and the western US soaked and mudslided. An amazing number of people have been affected.

I’m blaming Jupiter conjunct Uranus, not to mention eclipses and Mercury Rx adding to the general confusion. You may know that Jupiter is a patron planet of travel, but did you know that he is also associated with the weather?

Now that he’s hugging Uranus in a tight embrace into January 2010, he’s expressing himself in a number of weather related ways. Pisces is a water sign so he’s enlarging the general disruption (Uranus) that precipitation can bring. In Pisces, Jupiter also loves chaos, and I suppose travel chaos would be a specialty for him. Uranus is the crazy planet, and with Jupiter at his side, it’s just really crazy. True to Jupiter form, the wackiness hasn’t really been lethal, but it sure has been forcing people to slow down when they weren’t expecting to.

Knowing that this would be a week when we’d be forced to slow down, like it or not, this week’s podcast is all about The Art of Slowing Down. My guest, Edward Yu, wrote a book on that very topic and he describes a phenomenon wherein learning can be instantaneous when we slow down enough. Pretty darn intriguing. And very Jupiter/Uranus–because they’re all about insight and instantaneous learning–even if they have to disrupt our patterns to make it possible.

Happy Birthday, Happy New Year! This is a big month astrologically, as we have a solar eclipse in your sign, Jupiter and Uranus merged in Pisces for the first 10 days of the month, and then Jupiter moving into Aries. Add it all up and it amounts to a change of direction. The solar eclipse on January 4 is personal to you; it can indicate any kind of a fresh start in any area of your life that’s important to you. That covers a lot of territory, so you’ll be the one to judge what it means. You can recognize eclipse energy by its jolting, often surprising feel.

Jupiter’s move into Aries on the 22nd signals another form of changing direction. Jupiter turns his attention away from your communication sector and toward your family and domestic life sector. Eventually Uranus will come along for the ride (in March), creating a double wallop of family-oriented energy in 2011. For the moment, though, Uranus and Jupiter will conspire to quicken all your thoughts. It may be sort of like riding an intellectual roller coaster during the first third of the month.

Additionally, either Mercury or Venus or sometimes both will be in your solar 12th house all month.  One thing to watch out for though when a couple of planets are in your 12th house is the possibility of illness. This is especially true since the eclipse on December 21, 2010 fell in your 6th house of health and may have weakened your defenses. Take care of yourself!

As for your year ahead, well it’s a Piscean/Neptunian year in many ways. That’s because Neptune will move out of Aquarius and your sector of material objects and possessions into its own sign Pisces. Neptune is super-strong in Pisces and it will be there from April through July 2011, basically.

Neptune in Pisces for Capricorn is the sort of influence that tries to mush all your neatly organized separate thoughts into one big mashup of incoherent holistic wholeness. It will take awhile to get used to thoughts that do not want to organize themselves or explain themselves, but rather that want to float about your psyche as vague impressions, intuitions, and wordless knowings. This is not a bad thing; it’s just a new thing.

Other than that, you had a taste in 2010 of the combination of eclipses in your sign and in Cancer, of Saturn in your career house, plus Jupiter and Aries in your domestic sector. A fair amount of 2011 will be like the summer of 2010. In June, though, Jupiter moves into Taurus and your love life/social life sector. That should make you happy. If you were born in December, 2011 will be a rocking and rolling year, with plenty of thrills and chills. If you were born in January, it will be a bit more mellow likely and you’ll have time to adjust your soon to be expanded capacity for super-big thoughts.

Happy New Year! The year starts off with a potential bang due to a solar eclipse in Capricorn on the 4th and merging of Jupiter and Uranus in Pisces. The solar eclipse in Capricorn is supposed to represent some sort of a new beginning in your career, and hopefully it will if you want one. Meanwhile, Jupiter and Uranus also dominate the first third of the month, and then Jupiter moves into your own sign on the 22nd.

Jupiter, as you may know by now, is the planet that is supposed to bring help or aid. Uranus, meanwhile, is a wild card, sometimes signifying inspiration or insight. (Uranus is the type of planet would have dropped the apple on Newton’s head.) They’re both in the part of your chart that represents inner space, the world where your psyche resides or you could say where your subconscious mind resides. This is the area where scientists dream up complicated theories about multiple dimensions and parallel universes and stuff like that. I’m not going to say that you’re going to spend the first 10 days of the month dreaming up complicated theories about the cosmos–but then I’m not going to say you aren’t either. It’s about getting some sort insight into how the world works on a grand scale. At the very least, it’s about expanding the boundaries of what’s possible in your mind. Some of the strangeness you encounter may not be all that strange after all–you just didn’t know about it before.

As for Jupiter moving into Aries, it marks the beginning of focus on your sign in 2011. Your sign is, for better or worse, the sign of the military. In some way, shape or form, you are training to be of service, to be a leader, to be a defender. That’s what the military impulse is all about at heart, service. Combine the service impulse with the Uranian focus on technology starting in March, and you get…well, you get your own personal mission statement for the year ahead. Service and technology–if you can combine the two somehow in 2011, you’ll be on the right track.

Happy New Year, Taurus. 2011 starts out with two astrological events that are not going to recur for a long time. One is a solar eclipse in Capricorn on the 4th, the last solar eclipse in Capricorn for a number of years. The other is the combination of Jupiter and Uranus in Pisces. That’s not going to happen again in your lifetime.

The eclipse should bring you some sort of a fresh start in the area of education or travel; that’s if the eclipse affects you at all. Jupiter and Uranus–well, Jupiter in this spot in your chart often works to increase the number or extent of your surface contacts, acquaintances, etc. Uranus–well, who knows. It generally adds an explosive component to the configuration. They’re both in Pisces, the sign of the ocean. Put them all together and it would certainly make for an interesting time to take a cruise. You’d have an adventure, meet a lot of people, and get some sort of a fresh start. If you can’t get on a ship, then a group adventure of the mind would work well with the energy too. These influences are strongest during the first 10 days of the month.

I don’t want to oversell this. The sun will remain in conservative Capricorn until the 20th; this is not a configuration that is necessarily destined to change you in some noticeable or permanent way. Capricorn and Pisces are both compatible signs with yours; any transitions are likely to be smooth.

As for a sneak peek at the year ahead–the signs in play are Pisces, Aries and your own. Neptune will move into Pisces in April; Uranus will move into Aries in March, and Jupiter actually moves into Aries on the 22nd of this month. Jupiter moves into your sign in June, bringing hopefully a nice lilt to the second half of the year. Neither Neptune nor Uranus will really take direct aim at your sign in 2011. Conditions and aspects will vary over the course of the year, as they always do, but for most of you it will be a pretty normal year.

Happy New Year Gemini! Lots going on to kick off the new year. This month the sun’s in Capricorn and Aquarius. There’s a solar eclipse in Capricorn on the 4th. Jupiter and Uranus have a party in your career house during the first 10 days of the month (you’re invited!), and Jupiter moves into Aries on the 22nd. Saturn in Libra stations (gets powerful) on the 26th.

Let’s take the Capricorn part first. Capricorn represents your solar 8th house. This is a strange house associated with mysteries, crimes, conspiracies, hidden stuff, intrigue, spies, and all that jazz. Since most of you aren’t actually going to end up in a spy novel this month, you may have to get your fix of this stuff through the news of WikiLeaks, government conspiracies or whatever sort of hidden knowledge piques your interest. Use your imagination to delve into the deep in whatever way you would prefer. That’s during the first half of the month.

The Aquarian energy predominates during the 2nd half of the month, and that’s more about ideas in the abstract, something your sign is usually good at dealing with. Meanwhile, Saturn’s still in Libra and it’s more powerful this month than it has been. Saturn is in the part of your chart that deals with children, creativity and your love life/social life. Combined with the lingering effects of the lunar eclipse in your sign on December 21, we have something of an air sign trinity going on in January. If that sounds like gobbledygook, think of it this way: If you can conceive it, you can achieve it. Your beliefs matter. And stuff like that.

As for the year ahead–Jupiter in Aries this month will be joined by Uranus in Aries in March. That’s good for you. Neptune will move into Pisces in April. That’s challenging for you.

Your normally super-conscious and intentional rational mind is going to have to struggle with a whole bunch of stuff that’s neither conscious nor intentional and it’s certainly not rational. That struggle will theoretically take place around your career and professional life, a spot wherein you may notice that your supervisors seem to be going off the deep end and not resurfacing. Fortunately, this bout of irrationality lasts only from April through July. For the rest of the year you get a break, and you can be just as rational as you please.

Happy New Year, Cancer! The first big bang of 2011 comes in the form of a solar eclipse in Capricorn. The sun is also in Capricorn until the 20th. So let’s look at the significance of this energy.

For the past year and a half (since July 2009), there have been a series of eclipses in your sign and in Capricorn. The eclipses in your sign relate to your self-image, the mental image of yourself and the physical image you project to others. You may have made adjustments to your hairstyle, clothing, or weight as well as to your thinking about yourself. The final eclipse in your sign occurs on July 1, 2011. At that point, you will be done with the cycle of updating your image.

The Capricorn side of this eclipse series relates to relationship, to allowing others to see you in a new way that draws them to you or moves them out of the picture if they are no longer compatible with the updated you. The eclipse in Capricorn on January 4 is supposed to hook you up or re-establish a tie with someone who is compatible with the updated you. Sometimes this means a wedding or engagement; at other times it is a more informal way of establishing the tie. So that’s big news.

The eclipse energy dominates during the first half of the month. During the second half of the month, your consciousness is scheduled to take things to the next level, to be exploring the deeper meanings of intimacy. You should be ready to move forward with the relationship, to absorb the energy of the updated or new relationship.

That by itself is enough for any one month, but Jupiter also moves into your career house on the 22nd. In March, Uranus will join him. In short, 2011 will see a lot of focus on your career. Additionally, Neptune will move into your 9th house of travel and will be strong there from April through July. This is the sort of influence that could have you taking a very long journey to a very far location. 2011 is full of new frontiers for you.

Happy New Year, Leo! This month your ruler the sun is in Capricorn and then the sign opposite yours, Aquarius. This month, sun in Capricorn coincides with a new moon eclipse in this sign on the 4th. Capricorn represents the 6th house in your solar chart, the house of job and of health. A straightforward interpretation of this eclipse would be getting a new job, perhaps unexpectedly. Another straightforward interpretation would be starting some sort of new health regime, such as a plan to lose weight (Capricorn is the only sign that truly likes to lose weight.) Although something else may happen, and although the eclipse may pass you by if you don’t need much help in these areas, the straightforward interpretations often work. Even without an eclipse, a new moon in Capricorn is always a good time for you to begin a new health or weight management program.

As the sun moves into Aquarius on the 20th (joining Mars who enters that sign on the 16th), it is supposed to make you more conscious and intention-driven with regard to your relationships. Some astrologers also say that your half birthday is kind of like a cosmic mid-term exam that gives you feedback on how you’re doing. It can also be considered a time of re-setting for the next six months of your solar year.

January also sees activity from Mercury and Venus in your solar 5th house. These influences bring attention to your love life and social life. Put them together with planets in Aquarius and you’ve got a pretty good month for romance going on.

As for a peek at 2011, some changes start this month. Jupiter moves out of Pisces and into Aries on the 22nd. Aries represents the sector of your chart that deals with beliefs and plans and intentions for the future. Jupiter will be joined by Uranus in March. Theoretically, both of these influences will help you march forward with a sense of purpose. Neptunian weirdness will move from your relationship sector to your 8th house, where it will probably hang out below the surface of your awareness. This happens from April through July. Then Neptune will move back into your relationship sector for a final attempt to bewilder you before moving on for good in 2012. Jupiter will also move into your career house in June and stay there for the rest of the year. The sum total of all these influences should be that you will finally be able to have a greater sense of where you’re going in life and why you want to get there.

Eclipse month! Yes, the new year starts out with an eclipse in Capricorn (new moon) and it should be a good one for you. For single Virgos, it could signal a new romance or dating relationship or a new chapter in your social life. For creative Virgos, it may mean a new project. For parenting Virgos, some good news regarding your children. Since this eclipse happens around the same time that Jupiter and Uranus are being rambunctious in your 7th house of relationships, figure on surprise news from someone else. Whatever this time period brings, follow your instincts.

The full moon this month takes place on January 19 at the very end of Cancer. This is a pretty happy full moon, too, as full moons go, since it occurs on the same day as a sun/Jupiter sextile. It takes place in the part of your chart that deals with allies and friends.

Venus and Mercury also slide through your 4th house of home and family in January. These are also generally good influences, although quite frankly any influence in the family sector can be a bit stressful. This is an area of your life where you are scheduled to see changes in 2011 anyway. That’s because the new eclipse series in Sagittarius and Gemini (the first one was on December 21 in Gemini) hit your roots and career sectors. The 4th house also represents some of the more unconscious and subjective elements of our psychology. Some of you will learn that you love and are more loved by your family than you realized.

As far as 2011, overall it’s a pretty relationship intensive year. That’s not big news for Virgo; the universe has been staring at your relationships for so long, it’s like it’s got binoculars perched on its nose and it’s parked itself across the street from your house. In 2011, the relationship theme gains some new nuances. Uranus will soon stop bugging you and Neptune in Pisces will soon start smothering you. Jupiter and Uranus will move on from contemplating the nature of committed relationship to contemplating the mysteries of deep intimacy. Pluto will continue to worry about your love life. If there’s one thing the universe doesn’t want for you in 2011–it’s for you to be alone.

Happy New Year, Libra! A new moon solar eclipse starts the year of with a bit of a jolt. The eclipse is in Capricorn on the 4th and relates to your roots, family, home, and all that domestic stuff. Eclipses in Capricorn can be alarming, no doubt about it. And the 4th is one astrologically energetic day, but generally new moon eclipses are less to be feared than to be welcomed. Some sort of surprise is in order, but all should hopefully work out in the end.

I should note that although this represents the last eclipse to deal with your home sector, the universe is not done with this part of your life. In addition to the sun in your 4th house this month (which always occurs in January), Mercury, Mars and Pluto are here too. Mercury and Mars can be useful here, especially for things like cleaning up, getting rid of old objects, replacing broken stuff and doing repairs. Pluto here increases the intensity. As in a super-extreme winter clean out, major repairs and even remodeling.

The month’s full moon is in Cancer in your career sector on the 19th. This is another step in the universe’s ongoing plan to make adjustments in this area of your life. The final big step occurs July 1, 2011 when the last eclipse in this sign takes place. See what happens at this full moon to get clues as to the future direction of the universe’s plans.

I kind of wish I could tell you that in 2011 all you’ll need to worry about is your career and domestic situation. But actually…there’s more. Throughout the year, major planets will compete for your attention regarding self-development and personal appearance and health and your job and your relationships and probably even money. It’s as though the planets think you need more of everything. If you want more of everything, this is a good development, I suppose. If handling trying to get more of everything seems a bit overwhelming, you’re going to learn to need to prioritize and tell some of the impatient planets that you can’t do everything at once. They probably won’t believe you, but for the sake of your sanity you’ll need to negotiate the world’s various demands. You can do that!

Happy New Year, Scorpio! January starts out with an eclipse in Capricorn on the 4th. This goes along with the sun, Mercury, Mars, and Pluto  in Capricorn this month and it represents the last eclipse in a series in this sign. It amounts to something of an overload in your communication and information sector, but it also represents a fresh start in something that has to do with expressing yourself and getting your point across.

An eclipse in this sector tends to be hard to describe and the effects are often subtle. Sometimes taking a short course or seminar or learning something will shake loose a surprising insight or give you something to be enthusiastic about for about 6 months. (You can also look at your rising sign or Ascendant if you know it to see other ways the eclipse might affect you. This is actually a good idea to do with any monthly horoscope.)

Venus is in your sign through the 6th, making things pleasant, especially if you were born in the last week of the sign (from about the 17th of November to the 22nd). As Mars moves into Aquarius on the 16th, it becomes a dominant influence, partly because Mars likes to be a dominant influence wherever it goes, but also because it will be on an angle of your chart. It will be on the angle that represents home, family, domestic affairs and will bring power to that area of your life.

Speaking of power, 2011 can be a powerful year for you. Energy in Aries starting this month can focus your attention on a job or possibly help you get a new one. Jupiter moving into Taurus in June brings some luck to your relationships sector. And Neptune moving into Pisces in April for a few months (through July) can make you deliriously happy for no good reason whatsoever. All of these influences can help you get things done, each in their own way.

Happy New Year, Sagittarius. A couple of planets remain in your sign in January so that you continue to have personal energy throughout the month. The first influence is Mercury in your sign until the 13th. This is the sort of energy that encourages you to read the book you got for the holidays. (You did one didn’t you? Books are good fodder for your curious Sagittarian mind.)

The second influence is Venus in your sign from the 7th. This is the kind of influence that tends to make a person either feel loved or temporarily superior, depending on personal character and Venus’s mood at the time.

Overall, though, the first half of the month is Capricornian. The sun’s there, Mars is there, the new moon solar eclipse is there, Pluto’s there, and Mercury enters on the 13th. Capricorn in your chart is a symbol of your attitude toward material objects, finances, and the like. Theoretically, this confluence of energy that includes an eclipse will give you some sort of a fresh attitude toward these things. Sometimes that’s because you actually receive a surprising material object that you want, gain some money, or hear some financial news. Sometimes the new attitude is just more of an internal shift.

The second half of the month is more Aquarian. The lineup in this sign will include the sun, Mars, Neptune, and Chiron. This is team oriented energy and with Mars in the mix it’s like a ‘go team! Our team will win!’ celebratory kind of influence. Have some fun with it; play, compete.

Jupiter moving into Aries on the 22nd is fun, too. This is an outward kind of energy and the bulk of your chart is going to feel more outward than it has in the past. Uranus and Jupiter have been holed up at your 4th house, nesting in your home base for awhile. They’ll have a going away party at the beginning of the month and then Jupiter will move on. Uranus will move on in March. This will give you a chance to be more outgoing in 2011, cuz these two ain’t coming back to contemplate your navel anymore.

However, Neptune will move in to your home sector for April through July, and this is a very inward, navel-gazing influence. But at least there’ll be a balance. This is good news because outward and outgoing are good for your sign and overall will make it happier. (P.S. Look at your rising or Ascendant sign too for more information on how 2011 may play out for you.)

Happy New Year Aquarius. This month Jupiter moves back into Aries as of the 22nd, and in doing so awakens your pioneering spirit. This is a reprise of energy from 2010, so look back to the period between June and August of last year to get a clue as to how your pioneering instincts tend to express themselves. There’s more Aries-like energy on tap this month–Mars is in your sign from the 15th.

Mars and Aries are known as the warriors of the zodiac/planets, so keep that in mind during the second half of the month as you feel your impulses stirring. You can express the energy any way you like, as long as you understand that it’s there. The sun will also be in your sign from the 20th, adding even more kick to the last 10 days of the month. Nor can we forget that Neptune and Chiron are still in your sign, as they’ve been for seemingly forever. The combination of all these influences could end up making you a bit recklessly daring as you get closer to your birthday. You’ll need to decide for yourself whether recklessly daring is just the kind of thing you need to counteract the winter doldrums or if it’s the sort of thing you’ll regret later.

The first half of the month is not without its bold energy, either. There’ll be an eclipse in Capricorn on the 4th, with Mars fairly close by in the same sign. Although an eclipse in Capricorn is rarely that significant for Aquarius, it is possible that you’ll embark upon some venture related to spiritual power and increasing yours. You may also remove a psychological block or receive some information previously hidden from you. With Jupiter and Uranus conjunct in your financial house, you could also begin a bold income-producing venture as well.

As for the rest of 2011, by the time mid-March comes around, you may want to buy yourself a t-shirt that says “I survived the Uranus in Pisces transit.” This transit has hit a lot of people hard; it hit Aquarians mostly in their pocketbooks. It’ll be over for good in March, and you can consider yourself a bona-fide survivor. Admittedly, Neptune will hit the pocketbook part of your chart in April, but it’s not nearly as disruptive as Uranus. Plus, when Neptune moves into Pisces, you’ll be able to get yourself another t-shirt that says “I survived the Neptune in Aquarius transit.” Admittedly, Neptune will only leave your sign between April and July in 2011. But still…you are so close to having gotten through two major challenging eras in your life that your chart can almost taste freedom in the air.

Happy New Year, Pisces. This month Jupiter leaves your sign, not to return for another 12 or so years. It throws itself a goodbye party with Uranus at the first of the month, and then moves onto Aries by the 22nd. The Aries energy will add great vigor to your chart, particularly in the area of material possessions and finances.

The Jupiter/Uranus conjunction that fights for attention with an eclipse in Capricorn during the first 10 days of January is not just vigorous, it’s downright reckless. If you read this before New Year’s Eve, do ask yourself if it’s worth the risk to party like it’s 1999 to ring in 2011. In fact, throughout the first 10 days of the month, you’ll need to ask yourself–do I dare do this?–with regard to whatever crazy shenanigans Jupiter and Uranus try to drag you into. You may dare indeed, or you may decide to sit out the explosive impulsiveness that struggles to assert itself during the beginning of the month.

It will be interesting to see how the influences sort themselves out actually. The eclipse in Capricorn happens on the 4th, same day as the Uranus/Jupiter conjunction, and while Mars is in Capricorn too. Capricorn as a sign really believes in law and order, or at least law and orderliness, but it’s a rather lawless and disorderly gang that’s assembled for its eclipse. Capricorn represents the strategizing, alliance-building part of your chart, so keep your eyes open for bold folks with whom you can combine interests.

Alliance building will continue to be a theme in 2011, as your chart is obsessed with this idea and plans to continue to be for a long time. Neptune will move into your sign from April through July; Uranus will leave your sign for good in March. You may not notice much about these sign changes at first. Your sign is already more than familiar with Neptune energy, so it’s not as though it will be a shock to host your ruling planet for awhile. Uranus will eventually impact your finances, perhaps in a good way, although there will be bumps in the road at times. In the meantime, the universe wants you to keep honing your strategies and schemes, and building the network that will bring them into being.

This week’s podcast features an interview with Hazel Dixon-Cooper (www.hazeldixoncooper.com), author of the very popular “Rotten Day” series of astrology books. In her books, Hazel takes a humorous look at the ‘rotten’ qualities of the sun signs in various settings. The first book, Born on a Rotten Day, was such a success that it spawned three more books and landed Hazel a job as the Bedside Astrologer columnist for Cosmpolitan magazine. She’s now the daily horoscope astrologer for cosmpolitan.com.

In the interview, Hazel talks about her most recent book, the timely Work on a Rotten Day. Hazel also gives us insight into what goes into those daily horoscopes you read in newspapers, magazines, or online. She gives some great advice on what it takes to succeed in your job or avocation as well as giving us her insights into the current retrograde/eclipse formation we have going on right now.

PLUS! Hazel generously offered to give away a free copy of Work on a Rotten Day to one lucky listener. Listen to the end of the podcast to find out the super-simple way to enter.

Hazel was a lot of fun to talk to; I hope you all enjoy this podcast. Click here to listen. It’s also available on iTunes.