NORTHPOINT ASTROLOGY JOURNAL: Your guide to planetary energies for January 4 to 10, 2016 By Pam Younghans

NORTHPOINT ASTROLOGY JOURNAL:
Your guide to planetary energies for January 4 to 10, 2016
By Pam YounghansYour guide to planetary energies for

January 4 to 10, 2016

By Pam Younghans

Highlighted Aspects This Week
TUE: Mercury square Mars, Mercury goes retrograde 5:05am PST, Venus square Neptune, Sun conjunct Pluto
THU: Sun square Uranus, Jupiter goes retrograde 8:40pm PST
FRI: Mars sesquiquadrate Chiron, Sun sextile Chiron, Mercury re-enters Capricorn, Venus conjunct Saturn
SAT: New Moon in Capricorn 5:30pm PST
SUN: Mercury semisquare Venus

WELCOME TO 2016! Before I get started on the astrological energies for the coming week, some quick notes about our teleclass, Faith & Transcendence, Meanings & Purposes, which will be broadcast live tomorrow (Monday, January 4):

As I've prepared for the class over the past few days, it's become even more clear what a profound effect the Saturn-Neptune square (and the Saturn-Neptune-Jupiter t-square!) will have over these next few months. Because of that, I'm including quite a few tips on how to manage and stay on top of the energies. This class is a great way to plan ahead -- for our practical lives, our personal growth, and our spiritual evolution.

Remember, even if you can't attend the class live, you will have access to the replay and the pdf of the slideshow after the class airs -- so you can listen and watch at your leisure!

Important Notes:

• If you have any issues with the registration process, please email Elsie Kerns at elsie@wellnesswithelsie.com or call 856.988.7426.
• Once you sign up for the class, watch your inbox for emails from Eventbrite -- you'll receive some before the class (dial-up and online options, calendars, and reminders) and afterward (replay links and the pdf of the slideshow).

To read about the class and to register, just go to https://pamjan2016.eventbrite.com. The full class description is also at the end of today's journal.

Now, on to the week's planetary festivities:

THE NEW YEAR doesn't waste any time in getting started -- we have a lot going on this week! Mercury gets the ball rolling (backward) when it goes retrograde Tuesday morning (5:05am PST).

According to astrological wisdom, we will benefit from being more introspective over the next three weeks, and spending less time trying to initiate or communicate in the outer world. The purpose of Mercury retrograde is for us to review our options, rethink our strategies, and revise our plans. Then, when Mercury goes direct (on January 25), we should have a much more solid foundation for beginning new projects or adding to existing structures.

Because Mercury will be in Capricorn for most of its backward journey, the primary purpose of this time is to make sure our goals are truly in accordance with our higher purpose.

ALSO ON TUESDAY, the Sun makes its yearly alignment with Pluto. This is typically an influence that adds to our sense of empowerment and increases our ambitions -- however, the Sun will be square Uranus on Thursday, so it is actually activating the remnant energies of the Uranus-Pluto square this week.

We're all familiar with the themes of the Uranus-Pluto square by now. This aspect is about transformation; it pushes us to become more of who we really are by dismantling the structures and patterns that we've outgrown.

Because we humans tend to become attached to the status quo, and since both Uranus and Pluto are about Change with a capital "C", we've dealt with a fair amount of discomfort over these past four years while the square has been active. We're finally finishing up this powerful process, but since Uranus and Pluto are again within two degrees of their square January through March, we're going to see some final -- and necessary -- disassembly occurring during this time, especially when another planet "triggers" the effects of the square (such as the Sun is doing this week).

JUPITER goes retrograde on Thursday (8:40pm PST), marking the beginning of a four-month phase that will take us more deeply into the realms of our beliefs about these physical realms and the non-physical dimensions.

I love what astrologer Bil Tierney writes about Jupiter's retrogade phase in his book Dynamics of Aspect Analysis:

"This phase can become a marvelous time for gaining deeper insights into spiritual or philosophical matters, as wisdom can flow easier from the superconscious and make contact with the conscious self. It urges the individual to seek out the underlying truths concerning current matters represented by the house Jupiter is transiting through."

Since Jupiter is an important figure in the first six months of 2016, being aligned with the North Node in Virgo and being involved in the t-square with Saturn and Neptune, we'll certainly want to take advantage of Jupiter's retrograde phase, to gain those "deeper insights" that will assist us in our choices going forward.

Jupiter will go direct again on May 9.

FRIDAY brings us our annual alignment between Venus and Saturn, the ending of one cycle and the beginning of a new cycle with regards to our values, our relationships, and our financial stability. This day is a good time to review these areas of our lives, to see how our goals have changed in the past year, and to consider what new intentions we want to put in place.

In essence, every alignment between two planets represents a "New Year's Day" for the themes the planets represent -- so this Friday will be a good time to create a list of our objectives for the coming year: How do we want our relationships to look? Our finances? Do we want to focus on a new set of values, to make something a priority that wasn't on our radar before?

And, since the Venus-Saturn alignment occurs in Sagittarius, we'll also want to be sure that our new priorities fully reflect our core beliefs and life philosophies.

AND NOW, one last time, here's the full teleclass description. I hope you can join us!