Gazing Ahead at Early 2019
2019 is shaping up as the buildup to the 2020-2024 period of time of great change. There are some major highlights in the first 3 months of 2019 and I’m going to dive into to share with everyone about this astrologically-critical year. I don’t cover all of the happenings in these three months, but the vast majority of the larger transits and events taking place with the planets, Sun and Moon.
January
A series of 3 exact Jupiter-Neptune Squares begins on January 13th with a period of time in which they will be within 1 degree of a square between January 7-19. A square is an aspect in astrology, equating to a 90-degree angle. In the sky, this would be one planet on the horizon while a second planet is nearly-exact between horizons.
This Jupiter-Neptune square is one of the themes of 2019 with Jupiter being in the sign of Sagittarius and Neptune in the sign of Pisces (not the constellations). This combination can be a field of expansive imagination and spiritual evolution. The journey and questing of truth and meaning in Sagittarius alchemizing with the celestial empathy and spiritually-loving nature of Pisces forms the basis of how Jupiter and Neptune express themselves.
During these 3 windows of time when there are exact squares (but also the first 9 ½ months of 2019), a person can take advantage of a greater potential in the air for doing spiritual work, getting into your creative self in exploring new truths and philosophies, trying out new directions and opening up one’s heart in recognizing ourselves as celestial beings that are more than just our mundane, physical selves.
The 2 planets of Neptune and Jupiter are typically the ones most associated with spirituality, our dharma and our dream-quest. These windows are great times to go on retreats, taking time off to explore what your soul is drawn to spiritually.
On January 18th, (window of January 17-20) Saturn emerges in the early morning sky for the first time in over a month to our eyes. Saturn, in Capricorn, has been on the other side of the Sun, communing with Great Mystery. This emergence opens the door for the lead up of Saturn’s movement to close in with Pluto (in April). It is a time to begin anew with projects, jobs and planting the seeds for the long term (or at least a year) growth.
Total Lunar Eclipse January 20th
A Total Lunar Eclipse takes place on January 20th in the early to mid-evening hours in the Pacific coast. It is a Leo Full Moon, so the creative and self-loving light is being fully illuminated this evening. In a window of time for high-ceremony, spreading it’s generous and loving light upon the planet is in Leo’s essence as its ability to create for the sake of creating.
Earth’s shadow is projected upon the Moon. Our shadow of the Leo sign is emblazoned for half of the Earth to see. The shadow of Leo is ego-centrism, vanity, narcissism, being blinded by its own light or image and the extraordinary need for attention. It’s a time to be aware of the shadow and check-in with the ramifications of that shadow.
A few days later, Venus catches up with Jupiter in Sagittarius at the end of the Neptune-Jupiter square. This brings in the Solar Feminine, instilling a wildly-free goddess as part of the matrix of the great vision-quest for truth and meaning. Tuning into her qualities to blaze new trails in her relationship with humanity and her deep desire for truth is going to be expanded during this time. The period of time can be experienced before and after the conjunction January 17-27 (within a 5-degree orb, the centering period of the shamanic 10-degree orb, which is most of January itself and into February).
On January 31st, there will be quite a sight in the early morning sky as a very close conjunction of the Moon and Venus take place with Jupiter nearby (just above and to the right of the conjunction). It will be worth waking up early to see!
In Venus’ current cycle, which began on November 1st (in the sign of Libra) this day marks the 3rd Venus-Moon conjunction since then and hence represents the 3rd Gate, the Gate of Communication. It is a time for the letting go of what no longer serves in communicating our thoughts, ideas and emotions. It is laying bare to her own truth capacity to communicate.
The goddess has been letting go of her vestments of power, which will eventually lead to a surrender to herself in a vital transformative period by the summer time (winter in the Southern Hemisphere).
February
On February 10th, there will be a special 3-way conjunction of Mars, Uranus and the Moon in the sign of Aries. In a certain phase of Mars’ cycle across the sky, Mars and the Moon have monthly meetings that correspond to action-laden challenges relating to the masculine principle. Mars’ orbit will take it to meet Uranus (less than 2 degrees between Mars and Uranus on this day).
At this monthly challenge, there is the unexpected in the form of Uranus. This celestial planet represents the celestial form of unexpected, unorthodox and unpredictable events of great novelty. It is Necessity and Prometheus blended together. This planet doesn’t follow the rules of the others and has a tendency to be a provoker or instigator of great shifts in the form of sudden surprises.
The Moon-Mars conjunction will add an element of spark and action (a desire to do something) and a reactive agent during this time. This can promote a certain level of intensity and tension in the air. The window of time where Uranus and Mars are within 5 degrees of each other is February 5th to the 20th. The exact conjunction is on February 12th.
A note here that in the spring and summer of 2018, Mars and Uranus had 3 exact squares between them so this conjunction period between Mars and Uranus will likely stir up much of what took place during those months around the pull of technological enlightenment and the physical self in the natural expressions of pleasure and receiving Earth’s bounties.
Chiron in Aries
On February 18th, Chiron ingresses (moves) into the sign of Aries once again. This time, it will stay in Aries from this time until 2026. The time Chiron spends in Aries has a basic theme over the next 7+ years, which involves the deep wounds of the essence of the warrior archetype.
In Shamanic Astrology, Aries is known as the rugged-individualist, an “actional” archetype that decides through their intuitive / instinctual nature. Like all archetypes over the last 3000 years, Aries has been violated and abused in its gifts. Aries is the defender or guardian of the cosmic order and is typically drawn to or desiring to defend or guard those that are vulnerable. It the mission itself, the adventure of the mission to stand and face the challenge, to overcome it with will and strength and instinct.
This mission-orientation and sense of being “all-in” was forged and cultivated to make countless wars and some wars that never seem to end. The wounds that Aries bares in taking on in the role of a soldier or warrior can be triggered during this time of Chiron in Aries. James Hillman’s book, “A Terrible Love of War” truly exposes these wounds of Aries.
In the second half of February, another 3-way setup is happening. This setup happens in a couple of stages and involves, Saturn, Venus and Pluto in the sign of Capricorn (the Archer Constellation) and not far from Galactic Center.
Beginning on February 13th, Venus gets to within 5 degrees of Saturn with the ringed planet only 6 degrees from Pluto. As the month continues, the alignment tightens up with an exact conjunction between Saturn and Venus on the 18th, about 5 ½ degrees from Pluto. Late on the 22nd, Venus and Pluto are in conjunction with Saturn only 5 degrees away. While Pluto is not visible, this alignment is filled with potent potential.
The sign of Capricorn is about planting the seeds for the future. This is keeping in mind the harmony of humans and the world around them but also the systems we create to keep civilization humming along. Pluto’s influence will give us opportunity to see the shadows of those systems, economic, cultural and social, governmental and health systems that we rely upon. In this window of time from February 13th to the 28th is good time to review our own personal systems or structures with money, the feminine within ourselves, what limits we’ve held onto and how we manage our lives. It is a time to ask for Elder Grandmother’s wisdom for guidance.
March
Right off on March 2nd, the next Venus-Moon conjunction takes place after no Venus-Moon conjunctions in February. This next one, the 4th Gate of the Venus Cycle, occurs in the sign of Aquarius, the Cosmic Consciousness Experimenter. The morning Crescent Moon swoops in to the right and below Venus on the edge of the Goat-Fish constellation with Saturn not far away to the right of the Moon.
This 4th Gate is about the heart of the feminine and how Aquarius, which comes from a mental-consciousness-driven place, can connect with the vulnerability of her heart. Where is our heart when we are exploring the outer realms? How can we let go of material-world attachments to gain a perspective of our higher selves? How also can we be vulnerable within our heart-space while seeing our cosmic truth?
Mercury stations retrograde in the sign of Pisces on March 5th and stays retrograde until March 28th. We can use this period of time to invoke our creative selves and open up to other ways on doing things. It is a wonderful time to connect the mind and heart (Pisces). Imagination and dreams are the frontier in this period. Tap into the heart-space for a connection with spirit and the infinite space of all-source.
Uranus in Taurus March 6th
Uranus ingresses (moves) into the sign of Taurus once again (after a short time in Taurus in 2018) on March 6th. Uranus will be a fixture in this sign until April 25, 2026. This next chapter of Uranus’ transit in Taurus. During this month, Mars will also be in Taurus, so this activation of the pleasures, sensualities and comforts of life are up for the next stage in its development in humanity. In the next 7 years, we will continue to see and have our lines blurred about how science and technology benefits us in relation to our physical bodies and expanding into the next frontier of cosmic genesis. What are we giving up or sacrificing to attain to cosmic truth? Is it only evolution of the mind or is involution a direction we make as a priority?
A moment of that is triggered during the next Mars-Moon conjunction in Taurus on March 11th, centered on the question of the five senses of the body and experiencing that level of how it can be important to remain connected to the sensuality and pleasures of Earth in her beauty, the sweetness of her fruits and vibration of colors. Ow can the masculine better acknowledge and participate in the physical realm and honor the Earth in its gifts.
March Equinox /Full Moon
Vernal or March Equinox takes place this year on March 20th. This is when the Sun crosses the equatorial line from South to North heralding in spring (autumn in the Southern Hemisphere), represented by the sign of Aries. The vernal point in the sky right now is very slowly drifting away from the constellation of the Fish toward the Water-Bearer. This drift is known as the “Precession of the Equinox”.
The hour of the equinox is only a few hours before the Full Moon on the 20th, the second one in a row in the sign of Virgo (counting Feb 19th as the first one). It is not often that 2 Full Moons in row happen in the same sign with nearly 4 Full Moons between Solstice and Equinox. Having the 2 Full Moons in Virgo (Sun in Pisces) is an illumination of this Virgo-Pisces polarity or axis.
Questions to ponder during this Full Moon time is the nature of “being of service” to others and spirit. How have we been of help? What is sacred to us? How can we do our sacred work or service while still having empathy and compassion?
The Full Moon will sit nearly on the autumnal equinox point in the Priestess constellation, emphasizing the sacred patterning of the Earth and our connection to Gaia.
In the last days of March, Saturn is less than 4 degrees from Pluto, giving us a preview of upcoming events in 2020 and beyond. In April, the 2 planets (which have a tendency to be looked at as “negative”) get within two degrees. While in Shamanic Astrology, planets and signs are not viewed as either good or bad, each of them have qualities to guide us in various ways. It is a combination of intense and density with reality and the depth of the underworld.
In the long-term, this could lead to a breaking apart of the old machinery that runs the systemic currents in our cultures, helping to compost them into seeds for an unwritten future. With the short-term transit of Venus and Mercury in Pisces, this can provide some balance in opening our hearts to understanding the condition of ourselves in relation to the collective.