finding balance

the january 2004 forecast

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go to past forecasts.

mercury and saturn are retrograde.

mars squares saturn	9°41' aries/cancer	january 1
jupiter reverses direction (stationary retrograde)	18°54' virgo	january 3
mercury returns to direct motion (stationary direct)	27°09' sagittarius	january 6
full moon	16°40' capricorn/cancer	january 7
sun trines jupiter	18°53' capricorn/virgo	january 9
sun conjoins chiron	19°21' capricorn	january 10
mercury enters capricorn	0°00' capricorn	january 14
venus enters pisces	0°00' pisces	january 14
venus conjoins uranus	0°43' pisces	january 14
mercury sextiles venus	0°50' capricorn/pisces	january 15
mars squares chiron	20°09' aries/capricorn	january 18
mars trines pluto	21°08' aries/sagittarius	january 20
sun enters aquarius	0°00' aquarius	january 20
venus trines saturn	8°08' pisces/cancer	january 21
new moon	1°10' aquarius	january 21
mercury opposes saturn (3rd of 3)	8°03' capricorn/cancer	january 21
venus opposes jupiter	17°52' pisces/virgo	january 29
mercury trines jupiter	17°50' capricorn/virgo	january 29
mercury sextiles venus	20°16' capricorn/pisces	january 31

all dates are based on pacific time.

most of the major events of january occur at the beginning of the month. they set the tone for what most people consider the opening a new phase in their lives, which are ritualized through resolutions and affirmations. this healthy response to the return of the light for another annual cycle will be colored by an emphasis on adjustments to our ways of handling and organizing our thoughts and our lives.

jupiter’s turn-around

jupiter’s annual change in direction (to retrograde) occurs on the 3^rd. projects and initiatives which we began at the end of august now reach a stage where we can and must focus on them with greater concentration. the time for creating new enterprises, at least those which will be fulfilled over the coming 8 months, is past. now it’s time to follow through on those we have already brought to flower but not yet born fruit.

jupiter’s cycle carries extra punch this year, because at the time it began, there was a powerful coterie of planets collected around it: venus, uranus, and mars in addition to the sun-jupiter conjunction which defines the cycle’s start. this couldn’t have been more intense. as is typical of all tight planetary configurations, they set up and release in stages. the turn of jupiter is one step in the release. other releases have occurred with mars and uranus, and there will be more in may and june with venus, even as jupiter continues to play out its own role in the processes started then.

here’s a time table of events that will tie in with jupiter’s change of direction january 3:

uranus enters pisces	0°00' pisces	march 17, 2003
mars enters pisces	0°00' pisces	june 16
mars conjoins uranus	2°42' pisces	june 24
mars reverses direction (stationary retrograde)	10°08' pisces	july 29
mars, uranus oppose sun, venus, jupiter	early degrees of virgo-pisces	august 23–29
mars returns to direct motion (stationary direct)	0°07'	september 27
mars leaves its retrograde shadow	10°08' pisces	november 7
jupiter reverses direction (stationary retrograde)	18°54' virgo	january 3
sun opposes jupiter	13°58' pisces/virgo	march 4
mars squares uranus	4°45' gemini/pisces	march 28
mars squares jupiter	10°11' gemini/virgo	april 6
jupiter returns to direct motion (stationary direct)	8°56' virgo	may 4
uranus reverses direction (stationary retrograde)	6°48' pisces	june 10
mars opposes uranus	5°11' virgo/pisces	august 18
sun opposes uranus	4°49' virgo/pisces	august 27
uranus returns to direct motion (stationary direct)	2°53' pisces	november 11

since there are dates that have already passed, it will be helpful to take note of the events that have happened in your life since the start. they could occur within one week either side of the date given. all the events should be related to each other.

regardless of the part of your chart inhabited by virgo and pisces, a theme common to these signs will be threaded through your experiences. if you have planets in the mutable signs (gemini, virgo, sagittarius, pisces), the events will be more significant for you. there are many ways to describe this theme. one way is in terms of the mutable nature of these signs. the mutable force is the yielding or integrating force. when planets are found in the mutable signs, this force is strong. to respond to what we encounter in harmony, we need to yield and flex with the flow of events.

this means that when we encounter new situations, we will be able to work more harmoniously with the energies of these planets if we yield or flow with the situations that arise. that doesn’t mean to give in, just to be flexible, to bend with and be open to what we encounter with events.

another way to express the theme of the times is as the blending of spirit and matter. this is the process of the virgo-pisces axis in the zodiac. this comes out as the need to find a balance between practical considerations and what’s inwardly correct. we may experience this as conflict when making decisions or trying to listen to our heart while making our way in worldly affairs. we may also feel inspired by an inner bidding to take on a task for spiritual reasons, when from a practical perspective, this seems crazy. finding a way to make this work is the type of challenge virgo and pisces represent. by looking at the houses in your astrological chart where these signs are found, you can see where the events will be felt the most strongly.

the effects of this pattern in international affairs

world leaders must also bow to these forces, learning from them as we do. nations and their peoples bend and sway to the manner in which heads of state respond to the energies at hand. the nations which have shown the most response to triggers in virgo and pisces — those which have prominent placements in those signs — are iraq and the united states. in the u.s. chart (timed for 10:36 am according to the latest historical evidence reported by zipporah dobyns and others), uranus in gemini in the 9^th house is being triggered, suggesting the potential for unexpected events related to foreign sources. this can be anything from sudden changes in policy to terrorist attacks. however, it also represents the u.s. government’s attitude toward and stated foreign policy. while foreign policy from a country whose leader may change every four years has always been volatile, now it is especially so. if you know anything about the bigoted and narrow-minded assault being made on many foreign nations being sponsored by the current administration, you know how startling and disruptive it is to world political balance.

iraq’s pluto is at 0° virgo in its 2^nd house of its resources. since the earliest date listed above, march 17, iraq’s resources have been in the fires of transformation, with no end in sight. although there are other planets that are more active than the mutables in the charts of these nations, their difficulties are in part related to these contacts.

much of the difficulty that we are experiencing at this time in the world as well as our own lives has as much to do with saturn in cancer as it does with the other powerful placements we’ve been examining. this is true because the chart of the u.s. is full of planets that are triggered by saturn at this time. this is also true of w.’s chart. we were feeling it at the end of december (terrorist threats, flight delays, economic difficulties), when saturn was highlighted.

what about california?

another locale that has been profoundly affected by these transits is california. after the right-wing sponsored assault on the budget surplus through illegal energy price hikes and then their coup in taking over the governor’s office, the state’s difficulties continue. schwarzenegger has yet to prove himself equal to the contest, and he has yet to clearly show himself as a willing participant in a thoroughly neoconservative agenda. the fact that california’s neptune will still be transited by these planets over the next year tells us that the challenges are not yet over for this state in the midst of sacrifice.

other planetary highlights in january

when mercury turns direct on the 6^th, it ends a very difficult time for many people because of its involvement with saturn. although there are finishing touches to be put on our efforts through the 21^st, new difficulties are not likely to arise in the problem area(s) of our life. on the 10^th, a new cycle of healing begins which will affect those with placements in the last half of the cardinal signs (aries, cancer, libra, capricorn), particularly capricorn. events related to what occurs around this date will arise on or near january 18, may 2, june 15, july 15, august 15, and september 26.

on the bright side, there are several days when it is auspicious to carry out verbal communications or negotiate new agreements with others. they are the 14^th – 15^th, and more generally the 14^th – 31^st. the 20^th is especially good for carrying out important actions effectively, and love flows smoothly on the 21^st. these energies can be used for good in world affairs if the people in power are open to their impulses.

above all, this is a good time to pause and regroup, so that our actions will be more effective in producing the results we want, as well as making each moment more joyful. may you enjoy the energies and fulfill the potential of this time!