Sun in Aquarius - 2009
by Phil Reckard
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Sun in Aquarius: The way of the Peaceful Warrior, January 19 - February 18 (all times EST).
A lot of folks only know about the exalted nature of Aquarius from the hit song medley "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In," recorded by The Fifth Dimension in the late Sixties. The chorus "This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius" captured the essence of that decade, seeming to proclaim the coming of a new age via a fifth dimension no less. It has not been coincidental that various schools of alternative spiritual thought combined together to become known as a "New Age" movement soon after, and it can be safely argued that the study of astrology in particular experienced a rebirth due in some part because of that song.
However, astrologers have cringed at the significance of "When the Moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars," because celestial events like those really don't mean too much in themselves. The real-time Moon is in the seventh house at least once every day and Jupiter aligns with Mars by conjunction (working together) every two years on average. Well, Mars meets up with Jupiter in Aquarius on February 17, so maybe there's something we can learn from the echoes of the past from that tune? More on this specific alignment in the full forecast.
In the meantime, the rest of the verse of that song is in fact loaded with meaning as to how astrology can have a major and positive impact in our lives "...then peace will guide the planets, and love will steer the stars." That's just the way the Universe can work for us when we're working correctly with the Universe - through peace and love - the way of the Peaceful Warrior. The perfect place to start is of course to "let the Sun shine in," to allow our life-source the Sun to shine into all the dark places where ignorance, fear and hatred can lie dormant, be allowed to fester, and blow out of control when we're not paying attention. The Sun card of the tarot is turned over this month as an affirmation to do just that - to let the Sun shine in.
Allowing peace and love to rule our lives can sure come in handy during this Mercury retrograde, an upcoming eclipse cycle, Phase Two of the five Saturn/Uranus oppositions, Jupiter aligning with Mars, and five planets plus Chiron, Juno and the collective North Node - all in Aquarius by the time the Sun moves into Pisces. Saturn is still in twenty-two degrees Virgo, imperceptibly moving retrograde in His Good Professor mode, offering us His syllabus of acting with nobility for 2009. As examples of how to successfully maneuver this month, two agents for positive social change - two noble Peaceful Warriors - are front and center stage at this time, showing us all how to work correctly with the Universe.
Another major clue can be had by meditating on the Moon and Venus just after sunset on January 29, no matter where you live. By themselves, their combined representation of the Divine Feminine can inspire tranquillity simply by looking at them. They too are leading the way by adding a soft touch to what is behind them, unseen in the twilight yet very palpable in the collective psyche. The Moon, Venus and revolutionary Uranus are all opposed Saturn on January 29, with Phase Two of the exact Saturn/Uranus oppositions happening just one week later. This has been and will continue to be the Universal mandate for responsible (Saturn) change (Uranus) we've been needing. Anything less than positive change defeats the purpose for why we're all here-and-now facing a future of limitless potential, or at least that's what every Peaceful Warrior throughout history has been trying to tell us.
As always during a Mercury retrograde folks, it's one step at a time, drive carefully, and if you know any large birds, please tell them to stay away from jet engines!
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Full forecast
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The Sun enters Aquarius on Martin Luther King Day in the US as we Americans of good faith and justice, as well as like-minded people all over the world, honor the life's purpose of the Peaceful Warrior Reverend King. His inspirational "I Have a Dream" speech was delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC in August 1963 while a retrograde Saturn (in Aquarius!) was seventeen degrees away from an exact approaching opposition with revolutionary Uranus.
Dr. King's work, along with the hopes and dreams of millions of others, led to historic civil rights legislation within two short years as Saturn and Uranus were exactly opposing each other for the first time in over forty years. Those Constitutional rights promised every adult American citizen an opportunity to vote in a free and open democracy, regardless of something so superficial as the color of a person's skin.
This January 20 - the day after Martin Luther King Day - the first African-American President will be sworn into office on that same Washington Mall. Forty-seven year old Peaceful Warrior Barack Obama will help fulfill the Reverend King's dream, more than forty-five years later as a retrograde Saturn opposes Uranus by less than two degrees. Some dreams can take a while to come true, such as "...I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character..." Other dreams, like those of ours today, can and will take a lot less time to materialize, and this is a healthy side benefit of living in accelerated times.
To review, the Good Professor Saturn and Revolutionary Uranus are currently in opposition again for the first time since the mid Sixties, in a vitally important series of five exact oppositions occurring from late 2008 to mid 2010. The first exact Saturn/Uranus opposition was this past November 4, Election Day in the US. That was only Phase One folks - we're not even into the heavy-lifting part yet. Phase Two happens exactly this February 5 while the Sun is in a very busy Aquarius, as a significant part of this forecast. Phase Three happens this September while Phases Four and Five will be the hallmark of 2010. For all intents and purposes, these five phases are the overriding energetic of the lead-up to whatever awaits us in 2012 at the end of the Mayan calendar, and we're all right here in the middle of it now. Let's all keep our eyes on that prize, whatever we want that prize to look like, however we want to dream that prize into reality.
The Sun card of the tarot for this month signifies the beginning of a new cycle much like the promise of each new sunrise does for all of us, and it's a safe bet to predict that a lot of people will view January 20 as the dawning of a new day for America. Tie this in with the conventional economic wisdom that "when America sneezes, the whole world catches a cold," and then read the headlines that lately, the whole world has caught pneumonia. Imagine what the world would look like if America started smiling again? Next, imagine hope and optimism (with peace and love, the way of the Peaceful Warrior), and then dream the big dream where absolutely everybody knows that everything is connected. That's what the doctor is ordering - that's what the Universe wants us to know for 2009. .
Again, it's one foot in front of the other during this Mercury retrograde. Mercury slides back into Capricorn on January 21 as the Goddess of Partnerships and (- gulp -) Marriage Juno enters Aquarius. Expect a strange and knowing glance from a total stranger, or even your spouse or best friend, something along the lines of "haven't we met before?" A New Year's resolution might hit a pothole, so a psychic realignment of our wheels might be in order. Get used to it people, we live in strange times.
January 26 sees an annular Solar eclipse at the Chinese New Year, the year of the Earth Ox. The Ox favors serenity and strength with an enviable determination so long as it can leave the bull-bleep behind, not a bad animal totem for the Peaceful Warrior. New beginnings are all the rage in late January - Chinese or not - just remember to etch nothing in stone, like signing binding contracts (or legislation!) during this Mercury retrograde cycle. Wait until mid to late February.
The Solar eclipse of January 26 is not total but it packs a punch anyway with Jupiter less than two degrees away from the Sun and Moon at exact. The Sabian* image for seven degrees Aquarius echoes the usual New Moon energetics of fresh starts, but in a way we might not necessarily see coming. "A child is seen being born out of an egg, the emergence of new mutations according to the great rhythms of the cosmos." Mutations in this sense shouldn't be seen as anything scary or freakish, it's only the "rhythms of the cosmos," also known as Divine Will that compels every living thing to adapt to a changing environment in order to survive and evolve.
This Solar eclipse is clearly reflective of the overriding energetic of the Saturn/Uranus oppositions. Change is not only in the air or a good thing to happen at our convenience, change is inevitable and happens whether we like it or not. It should be known that we're not powerless in this process of change and evolution, however if we don't adapt to the current environment (economic or otherwise), or if we resist a mutation of rebirth, we can suffer a symbolic death. Whether it's a financial, spiritual, figurative or literal loss, something significant within the evolution-resistant Self immediately starts decaying into oblivion. Perhaps the increasingly obsolete concept of being "born again" needs to be rethought, knowing that personal redemption can happen to anyone anywhere at any given here-and-now moment, regardless of one's religious affiliation?
Our inner and collective soldier Mars overtakes a retrograde Mercury on January 27 but then Mercury turns direct on February 1 at twenty-two degrees Capricorn, the same degree the Sun was in at the first Full Moon of 2009. "By accepting defeat gracefully, a General reveals nobility of character... what matters most always is inner strength." Mercury is essentially acting as the Good Professor Saturn's teaching assistant, handing out snap quizzes in our collective classroom to see if we've been behaving with nobility. We'll be needing an Ox-load of dignity and inner strength to get through the first two weeks of February as Venus enters Aries February 2, Mars enters Aquarius on February 4, Phase Two of the Saturn/Uranus oppositions is exact on February 5, and a Lunar eclipse occurs on February 9.
Venus and Mars changing signs the first week in February will have greater relevance as time goes by. Venus, in Mars' ruling sign, will begin to slow down later in February to begin Her retrograde cycle in March and April, something She does roughly once every eighteen months (details next month).
Our inner soldier Mars likes to spur whatever He touches by transit into action, usually action without any specific guidelines for success. Mars in Airy Aquarius lends itself to a "let's do something/anything" mode. For instance, Mars was in Aquarius from October to December 2001 as "plans" were being made for the US military (ruled by Mars) to invade Afghanistan after the attacks of 9/11. Mars was in Aquarius again in early 2003 when Iraq became occupied by US forces. Oy, don't we all wish we'd had enlightened leadership at the time?
Mars will overtake the collective North Node, Jupiter, Juno, Chiron and Neptune before entering Pisces in mid March. The urge to move too quickly must be tempered by the Saturnian wisdom of patience, especially as Phase Two of the Saturn/Uranus oppositions is fully underway the first week of February.
Saturn was moving direct (and Uranus retrograde) during Phase One of the Saturn/Uranus oppositions this past November 4. Uranus is now direct and Saturn is retrograde on February 5, a subtle yet distinctly different energetic regarding the fundamental nature of change. A few months ago was about taking action for responsible change, and now it's more about making change happen, but is it positive and responsible (Saturn) change (Uranus)? Mars in particular, historically known as a "Great Malefic" (bad guy), doesn't really care what kind of call to action is needed, but the Peaceful Warrior knows.
The planetary opposition energetic usually tugs at the shadow side of each planet, at least it does when we're not paying attention to our karmic responsibilities. The Sabian images for Saturn and Uranus here at Phase Two talk about teamwork and hope being at odds with each other, but we really don't have much time for that, do we? "A girl's basketball team" is Saturn's imagery at this opposition, symbolizing a level of responsible (Saturn) teamwork often missing in a boy's basketball team. Face it guys, we can be a lot more competitive amongst ourselves when we put on the uniform of the same team. It's a girl's team where cooperation, diplomacy, and a need for harmony find a much better chance of success. That's the exalted nature of Venus in our lives, whether we were born male or female.
(And isn't it interesting to note that basketball is Obama's sport of choice, with him nominating many former high school and college stars to his administration, as well as female non-hoopster Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State [diplomacy], no?)
Uranus' Sabian symbol at this opposition includes the image of a young girl fondling a little white lamb while under the watchful eye of an adult, a confounding image for the revolutionary Prometheus. No astrologer in their right mind would ever equate Uranus' influence as a "gentle" thing in the least, but the Peaceful Warrior astrologer would and could! It's significant to see that both Sabian images here involve girls - young women as representatives of the Divine Feminine - as seen with the Moon and Venus adding that soft touch to Uranus (all opposed Saturn) on January 29. What's called for here is gentleness toward the innocent and naive - those individuals who fear the inevitability of change - people unable or unwilling to evolve. And perhaps we can entertain the thought that this girl is the child born out of the egg at the Solar eclipse? An egg is after all symbolic of the female.
The annular Leo Lunar eclipse of February 9 simply has to do with not allowing our egos (Leo) to get in the way of what is truly necessary - lets leave our egos at the door. We need to learn how to crawl before we can walk, we need to walk before we can run, we need to run before we can fly, and we need to learn how to fly before we can soar. Once again, it's baby steps with one foot in front of the other, especially when this eclipse finds us deeply within Mercury's retrograde shadow. This shadow time extends from February 1 to February 21, more of a three week stretch for serious reflection rather than as a jump-start into new territory.
We get a bit of a breather until Mercury reenters Aquarius (direct) on February 14, helping us to stay on-task about what is most important, creating the better Aquarian future. We'll then have the Sun, Mercury, Mars, Juno, Jupiter, Chiron, Neptune and the collective North Node - all in Aquarius for the next three days until the Sun moves into Pisces. Mars catches up with Jupiter on the 17th, ushering in the Age of Aquarius, at least as far as that song may be concerned. Maybe.
Jupiter aligns exactly with Mars on the 17th at 11° Aquarius and the Moon is indeed in the seventh house at 11 AM (in at least one part of the world**). Jupiter and Mars are both tightly sextile (60° apart) Venus at eleven degrees Aries, and there's all those "elevens" again! Mars and Jupiter speak to a Sabian image where "During a silent hour, a man receives a new inspiration which may change his life, the need to rely upon inner inspiration and guidance at the start of new developments." Hopefully we've all been aching for such a transcendent moment of clarity and inspiration that may well change our lives for the better, and the Universe may very well indeed be lining itself up to provide such a moment around February 17.
Again, Mars is our inner spur to action while Jupiter likes to expand whatever it touches, or in this case by whatever faster planet passes in front of it. The seventh house rules significant partnerships like marriage, and the Moon in the seventh house is a momentary invitation to emotionally open up to our spouses and/or our partners. So, Jupiter aligning with Mars while the Moon is in the seventh house is basically code for "make love, not war," a mantra from the Sixties. Marriage Goddess asteroid Juno, a little more than one degree away from this Mars/Jupiter alignment, drives this point home. This is happening only three days after Valentine's Day, so guys - don't forget the wine, roses and chocolates!
This exact Jupiter/Mars get-together with Juno can also see some old partnerships (and marriages?) feeling the need to move on while "newer," more karmically significant connections may begin forming. Further developments along these lines are likely to be taking place when Venus begins Her retrograde cycle (in Mars-ruled Aries) next month, so be sure to stay tuned for that.
In other kinds of partnerships, the effects of February 17 can be a triggering mechanism for what the rest of 2009 can offer as Jupiter stays in Aquarius the whole year while Mars moves throughout the next half of the zodiac. Jupiter in Aquarius is where the Creative Class can reap huge benefits in new and different (?) collaborations, as opposed to 2008 with Jupiter in Capricorn (boo hiss). Jupiter in Capricorn has essentially been the last hurrah of the unholy matrimony between ignorance and arrogance. Don't let the door hit you where the Good Lord split you George.
(* The Sabian symbols are from Dane Rudhyar's "An Astrological Mandala," 1972)
(** Jupiter is precisely aligned with Mars at 10° 07' Aquarius on February 17, and the Sabian images are determined by rounding off to the nearest highest degree. For example, even if Jupiter and Mars were conjunct at 10° 01', the Sabian symbol for this event would be seen in the entry for 11° Aquarius.
Due to intricacies of exact astrological timing and specific location, the Moon is in the seventh house while Mars and Jupiter are exactly conjunct in only one place as far as I can tell, and that would be the Central (US) Time Zone, standard time. A city like Chicago Illinois would be one of the only places where the lyrics to "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In" would be precisely relevant, and I wonder which Peaceful Warrior hails from Chicago? I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.)
(The Sabian symbols are from Dane Rudhyar's "An Astrological Mandala," 1972. Phil can be contacted at globalpsychics.com)
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