WE STAND at
the threshold of a new year, perhaps excited or maybe apprehensive
about what lies ahead. But the Universe is impatient, and will be
wasting no time in launching us into the transformational energies and
experiences that will be with us throughout 2019. This first week of the
new year is
packed full, highlighted by a Solar Eclipse next Saturday and Uranus
stationing direct next Sunday.
In
keeping with the spirit of endings and beginnings, Mars completes its
most recent round of the zodiac on New Year's Eve, leaving the last sign
of Pisces and charging into Aries. The warrior planet will be in the
first sign until February 14, providing plenty of energy and courage for
whatever new enterprises we want to embark upon.
THE ATMOSPHERE
on the first day of 2019 is more cautious, however; the Sun and Saturn
are aligned in Capricorn, focusing our attention on the seriousness of
what we want to accomplish and how we want to get there. This is a very
practical influence, not given to
over-idealizing the effort it will take to gain the mountaintop.
On
Thursday, we might appear to be back in an old paradigm. Mercury in
late Sagittarius is square Chiron in Pisces, bringing up ideological
conflicts and reviving prejudices that serve to place others in the
position of being less-than. However, Mercury is also in helpful trine
aspect to Uranus, which means we have the opportunity to think in new
ways, to access more inclusive perspectives that
do not wound, but heal.
Mercury
then moves into Capricorn on Friday, shifting our thoughts to what we
want to achieve, now that we know more clearly what we value and believe
in.
OUR SOLAR ECLIPSE occurs on Saturday in the U.S., at 5:28 p.m. PST (this is Sunday at 1:28 a.m. GMT). The Sun and Moon are at 15°25′ Capricorn at the time of the eclipse, very near the midpoint between Saturn and
Pluto.
This
midpoint activation is quite significant, given that the alignment
between Saturn and Pluto is a major player in the human drama that
unfolds over the next two years. The alignment isn't exact to the degree
until January 2020, but throughout 2019, we are touching into the
energies of this joining of planetary energies. Saturday's eclipse is
our first activation
point, so we'll want to pay close attention to what is occurring.
SATURN is
Father Time, while Pluto is the god of the underworld. Together, they
show us what has reached its expiration date, that needs to be purged,
so that we can reset our sights and focus our
intentions on what is in alignment with our highest path of evolution.
This imperative is increased by the fact that this is a South Node
eclipse (occurring near the South Node), indicating that we must release
something from the past in order to enable the future to unfold at its
highest level.
On
a personal level, it will be helpful to move some energy this week, to
create space in your life for shifts to occur more readily. This can be
as simple as changing a routine, taking a load of donations to the
thrift store, or moving the furniture around in one of the rooms of your
home. Try to find ways to do something new every day this week, with
the intention of
opening the space for the new.
(I'll talk a lot about Saturn-Pluto in my upcoming webinar -- please see the description at the end of today's Journal.)
THE NODAL AXIS
itself -- composed of the North Node in Cancer and the South Node in
Capricorn -- is in close square aspect to Uranus in Aries at the time of
the eclipse. Given that Uranus is basically at a
standstill as it prepares to change direction next Sunday, this is a
potent influence.
Uranus
is always the wild card in any astrological draw, tending to manifest
in unexpected ways, and nearly always tossing the entire deck of cards
up into the air to be sorted through later. (Remember when a childhood
friend asked if you wanted to play "52-Card Pickup"?)
With
Uranus square the nodes for the eclipse -- which is in itself a time of
shifting energies! -- we can "expect" unexpected developments that will
reveal both the old patterns we are leaving behind (South Node) and the
new versions of self and society that we are meant to evolve into
(North Node). Uranus is known to manifest through startling events such
as
earthquakes and tornadoes, and other circumstances that shake up the
status quo. As we let go of attachment to what has been, we are then
more free to move into new forms.
THE SUN AND MOON
are aligned with the fixed star Vega (Wega) for the New Moon eclipse.
This star can be a very positive influence, boding well for endeavors
that we begin under the influence of this
lunation -- especially if we have first done the necessary clearing.
Researcher Vivian Robson explains that Vega "gives
beneficence, idealism, hopefulness, refinement, and changeability," but
it can also be "outwardly pretentious and lascivious. "
George
Noonan, another expert on fixed stars, has a less positive view of
Vega, leaning more toward the problems that can occur when someone
becomes overly focused on the glamour and is disingenuous: "influential position
but fleeting honors, insincere friends, public disgrace, probably through forgery, loss through writings."
HELPING US navigate this Vega effect gracefully, astrologer Roderick Kidston writes:
"It
is important to keep an even approach with this star. 'Nothing in
excess' is a useful thought for meditation here. Wega is one of the
brightest and most beautiful stars in the heavens. It calls for us to
remember the permanence of the beautiful in all its forms, and its
expression of the deeper harmony with the divine. With Wega, you have
been given a little gift by
the gods. You can take it for granted, but if you make a little effort,
this star will bring many rewards."
In
other words, as we begin the new year, our tasks are to keep our
balance in times of great pressure and change, to maintain integrity in
all our endeavors, to look for the beauty, and to be humbly grateful for
the many gifts of our lives. And, to remember that beauty, in all its
forms, is an "expression of the deeper harmony with the
divine."
Please
note that I'll be doing a "BeLive" on Facebook next Saturday, to talk
about the Solar Eclipse and to share a bit more about my upcoming
webinar. The BeLive will be at 4 p.m. PST -- please visit my Facebook
page for the announcement as we get closer to the day.
Astrological Guidance for January through June 2019
The Two-Year Journey 2019-2020
Phase I: Into the Heart
with Pam Younghans
Airing LIVE on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 (4 p.m. PST, 5 p.m. MST, 6 p.m. CST, 7 p.m. EST)
As
we enter 2019, we begin a powerful two-year evolutionary journey that
will have great impact on both our inner and our outer worlds. Phase I
of this sojourn, which I am calling “Into the Heart,” takes us from
January through June 2019.
Two
eclipses in January provide the fanfare to start us on our journey.
These eclipses, especially the SuperMoon Total Lunar Eclipse on January
21, will serve to shift our attention in powerful ways. Another
highlight of the first half of 2019 is on March 6, when Uranus
re-crosses the threshold into Taurus. When Uranus first entered Taurus
in
May 2018, the Earth responded volcanically – leaving us conjecturing
what we can expect for this second crossing.
But
the most potent time within this six-month period is likely to be in
April and May, when a dance between Pluto, Saturn, and the karmic South
Node brings society face-to-face with its materialistic tendencies, as a
mechanism to catapult us into a more heart-centered future.
In
this 90-minute webinar, I will begin by providing more details about
this two-year journey that begins in January 2019 and completes in
December 2020. I'll then describe the most significant astrological
events of the first six months of the new year, and their potential
impact. During the last half of class, I will walk us through each
month, providing guidance based on the planetary activity, which
includes several powerful Full Moons and some significant retrograde
periods.
I hope you can join us!
And don’t worry if you can't attend live on January 15 -- the class is
recorded, and all registrants receive an email afterward with a link to
the replay and the pdf of the slideshow.
Everyone
who registers for the webinar will also receive calendars for January
through June beforehand. These calendars show all the important
astrological events, and will make note-taking easier.
Class
fee is $33. Payment options and registration may be handled online or
by check to Elsie Kerns, 2007 Rabbit Run Rd., Marlton, NJ 08053.
