Last year (2010) we had the Cardinal T-square/Cross activating 00 degrees Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. It was a year that saw a volcano in Iceland disrupt air travel, major earthquakes in Chile, Haiti and Christchurch, devastating fires in Russia and floods in Pakistan, the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the face behind the face of politics being revealed by Wikileaks, economic crisis riots in Europe, miners rescued in Chile and miners lost in New Zealand, and much more.
The Cardinal T-square is behind us now, and the next major paradigm-shifting alignment isn’t until 2012 when the massive Uranus square Pluto effect begins. Does this mean we’re sitting pretty in 2011? There are no major alignments like the Cardinal T-square/Cross of 2010 or the upcoming Uranus square Pluto of 2012 to 2015, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll coast.
If you imagine the major planetary alignments like waves, the 2010 Cardinal T-square wave is beginning to dip, while the 2012 Uranus-Pluto square is beginning to rise. So we’re swirling around in a combined strong 2010 wave dip and an equally strong 2012 wave rise. Throughout 2011, various planetary effects will continue to shake up the 00 degrees of the zodiac affected by the 2010 Cardinal T-square/Cross, or will start to trigger the degrees of the zodiac that the upcoming 2012 Uranus-Pluto square will hit.
For example, by the time the Uranus-Pluto square ends in 2015, it will have affected from 7 to 15 degrees of Aries and Capricorn. And in the last two weeks of December 2010, Mars shook up all those degrees of Capricorn perhaps giving us a taste of what might be ahead when the Uranus-Pluto square takes effect. We saw snow storms stop action in many major Northern Hemisphere cities and airports, plus enormous floods devastating half the state of Queensland.
It feels as if 2011 is a crossroads year. What choices will we make to respond effectively to what happened in our individual and collective lives in 2010 and change what’s not working so that we can ride the upcoming Uranus-Pluto square with as little angst as possible? On a collective note, the cosmos-earth relationship is showing a death-birth process. The past year with the Cardinal T-square was like receiving a diagnosis that the earth has a cancer and is facing death to certain parts of itself. So what will our responses be? Will we do something about the ‘cancer’ or will we let it spread?
To continue the metaphors, there was also a diagnosis of unexpected pregnancy. For example, the public support for free speech and transparency when Julian Assange was jailed, and the release of Aung Sun Suu Ki are possible examples of the new beginnings promised in the ‘dawning of the Age of Aquarius’. Will we let the Aquarian ideal of ‘a fair go for all’ birth or will we react with ‘I never wanted this difficult child disrupting life as I know it’ and abandon it at our peril? I’m talking about the ‘dawning of the Age of Aquarius’ because planet Uranus rules Aquarius and puts up a huge fight against the old when it starts squaring Pluto in 2012.
So, 2011 has the flavor of being simultaneously a recovery year while aftershocks continue, and a preparation year while dealing with a rebellious, difficult ‘pregnancy’. Our personal lives are just as affected by these themes as our collective lives. The zodiac sign Aquarius sees the personal as political. The changes we make in our personal lives have ripple effects across the collective, and what happens in the collective ripples through our personal lives.
In the first three months of 2011, Jupiter will keep us aware that the volatility associated with climate change and political/humanitarian unrest is not going to go away. In January, Jupiter joins Uranus. In February, Jupiter squares the North Node then Pluto. In March, Jupiter opposes Saturn. I’ll explain all of that in each relevant monthly forecast, but suffice it to say, from January to March, we’re likely to see Jupiter’s influence escalate or make larger than life many of the issues that some governing bodies might be praying would just go away.
The 6 eclipses in 2011 will also keep up the transformations and cosmic provocations. The January and July eclipses are particularly potent because they touch on the degrees affected by the 00 to 15 degree band of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. The last time there were 6 eclipses in a year was 2000. Then the decade from 2000 to 2010 averaged 4 eclipses a year. The decade from 2010 to 2020 averages 5 eclipses a year. The next year with 6 eclipses is 2020. And, to repeat, there are 6 in 2011, so it’s a big eclipse year.
Neptune becomes a major player in 2011 when for the first time in 164 years it returns to Pisces in April. This is a terrific event because Neptune rules Pisces so is right at home in its own zodiac sign and helps us feel at home with all Neptune/Pisces themes. The most obvious of those themes (the positive ones) are: intuition, compassion, spirituality, mysticism, art, music, oneness, the divine, bliss. Neptune in Pisces helps facilitate heart openings, empathy for other points of view and respect for unseen realities.
In March, Uranus completes its zodiac sign shift from Pisces to Aries. We got a taste of this between 28 May and 14 August in 2010, but then Uranus dipped back into Pisces. On 12 March, Uranus finally settles into Aries until May 2018. One thing that Uranus in Aries cannot tolerate is ‘bullshit’. Uranus is rebellious and Aries is revolutionary. Put planet Uranus into zodiac sign Aries and sparks fly. This can be passionate, exciting, inspiring and joyous. Or it can be short fused and short sighted. For many, this will bring release and relief from feelings of being trapped or held back.
Also in March, the Nodes (aka ‘the axis of destiny’) switch zodiac signs when they move out of Capricorn/Cancer and into Sagittarius/Gemini. More about that then. Pluto and Saturn both remain in their current signs: Pluto in Capricorn continuing to shake up the old ways, especially old status- rather than heart-centred ways; Saturn in Libra continuing to spotlight justice vs injustice and highlight relationship issues, including reshuffling all kinds of love and business contracts.
That’s a bit of a taste of the year ahead, but what of January itself? The month starts with every planet travelling Direct all the way through until the 26th. Given how often planets were Retro in 2010, this is a welcome time of forward movement and action stations. Mercury, which was Retro in December, turned Direct on 30 December just in time for New Year.
There’s a strong impulse for leaps forward in January. Not only are all the planets Direct but Jupiter makes its third and final alignment with Uranus on the 4th. Think back to the weeks around 8 June and 19 September 2010 when Jupiter made its first and second alignments with Uranus. What was trying to break free and inspire you back then? You might’ve begun to make movements forward in those months but not quite completed the process. Now that Jupiter is making its final conjunction with Uranus you can truly feel free to explore your inspirations and new moves.
If the brakes seem to come on rather than movement forward, that could very well be the effect of the partial Solar Eclipse on the 4th. This eclipse coincides with the New Moon in Capricorn, the zodiac sign of reality checks and practicality. If something seems to block your momentum, you might need to check you are not attempting to dash ahead with blind optimism. If you’re overlooking an important factor, this eclipse will help you ground yourself and make sure you are safe.
The New Moon in Capricorn offers an opportunity to plan out the whole year ahead and plant seeds for your long term goals. So if you don’t really settle on fresh intentions or resolutions by the 1st, you’ve got a few extra days up your sleeves to meet the cosmic goal setting date of the 4th.
With Jupiter, Uranus and the New Moon Eclipse all bringing an energy surge on the 4th, many will experience a big ‘green light’ go-ahead with new plans. Eclipses bring either breakthroughs or breakdowns. This one has quite a manic energy so be careful about sudden impulses as once the ‘high’ has passed, you might be in for a reality check. But if you have been sensibly planning new directions, serendipity could well find you and you might soon be riding a sudden wave of luck.
It’s notable that the 4 January eclipse makes a powerful alignment to the United States birth chart. Capricorn is the zodiac sign of governments and corporations so it will be interesting to watch what happens on the world stage. The current eclipse season started in mid-December, so there might be a bit of rest from turbulence once the eclipse season ends by mid-January. That’s if the Jupiter-Uranus alignment doesn’t bring a dramatic outburst of rebellion or escalated conflict. The next eclipses are not until June.
Yet even as the eclipse electricity wanes, the fire energy ramps up. Jupiter moves into the heat of Aries on the 23rd. A fire planet in a fire sign is sure to brighten things up, renew energy and improve optimism. If the 4 January New Moon Eclipse brings a heavy reality check, you can look forward to the fresh beginnings of Jupiter in Aries from the 23rd. Jupiter dipped its toes into Aries between 6 June and 9 September 2010, but then took a wander back into Pisces for a few months. After the 23rd, Jupiter re-enters and remains in Aries, inspiring and enlightening us, all the way through until 4 June.
The fire vibe continues with Venus finally moving out of Scorpio on 8 January. For those who have been feeling the heaviness of relationship difficulties, or have been grappling with grief and loss or financial burdens since early September when Venus entered Scorpio, the weight begins to lift from 8 January when Venus puts on her party shoes in Sagittarius. Venus’s Sagittarian fun time matches the uplifting energy of Jupiter aligning with Uranus on the 4th and then moving into Aries on the 23rd.
On 20 January, the Full Moon shines bright at 29 degrees Cancer. Being at the last degree of Cancer, this Full Moon carries some intensity. It brings a reminder of some of the emotional turmoil of the last months of 2010 and helps us find our peace with affairs of the heart, especially regarding family and home matters.
Finally, the month ends with Saturn going Retrograde in Libra on the 26th. With all of the fiery Direct energies carrying us forward in surges of excitement for most of the month, Saturn’s Retro movement helps us come back to centre and integrate all that’s happened. It also brings a serious note of consequences needing to be faced if anything got out of control.
In a nutshell, January has an overall break-free energy, which can be channelled either constructively or destructively. We all know the scary effect of fire without a fireplace or a properly cleared pathway. If we have spent the past months of Venus in Scorpio going deep within to do our shadow work and clear an honest, grounded, respectful path for fresh energy, January could be a month of life lighting up in delightful ways.
Wishing you all a great start to 2011.