I know. I’ve been away a long time (3 months exactly) and I really don’t want to explain, but suffice to say that it wasn’t because I didn’t want to be here. Sometimes things get in the way, sometimes the path diverges unexpectedly, and sometimes I really need to be more than one person to fulfill my personal expectations…but I think I’m back and I have something for you…

Happy New Year!  Happy New Decade!

(If you want to have a printed copy of this but are doing your part for the planet and don’t want to use even more paper, pick up a copy of the January issue of Aquarius magazine. In February you can use it to build a bonfire for Carnival…)

For Sign by Sign Forecasts for January 2010, go to the Current Forecast.

“Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against your passion and your appetite.”  ~Khalil Gibran

The portal into 2010 is a profound New Year’s Eve Blue Moon Lunar Eclipse! That’s a mouthful and indeed 2010 opens with serious emotionalism leaving you with a lot to chew on over the coming weeks. Be aware that the effects of an Eclipse are felt long after the event, and this Full Moon in Cancer on New Year’s Eve demands a change of course in terms of your family, close ties, your history/tradition and the way you nurture and need nurturing. With Pluto and Saturn involved in the Eclipse your fears and limitations may try to get in your way over the next 6 months. Instead of falling to that dark side, tap the positive energy of Pluto/Saturn as the year begins: voluntarily purge what’s no longer useful in your life, particularly in the areas of family/tradition, career, and relationships. Willingly envision practical steps you can take for a more effective, more efficiently run life. Then take on the responsibility of actually accomplishing those necessary steps. Patience and perseverance will be required as well as a good dose of deep, soulful, self-reflection. Tightening the money belt may also be necessary, and there may be financial loss – learn to do more with less. Remember when being Eco Friendly was called being frugal and was the territory of common sense? Your depression era parents and grandparents can teach you all about that. Spend some time with them and learn the beauty of using only what you need, and saving for a rainy day. The era of boundless waste and thoughtless immediate gratification without consequences is over. With Mars Retrograde  in Leo, Saturn turning Retrograde in Libra on Jan. 13, and Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn until Jan. 15, don’t expect your new course to simply fall into place with your first effort. Persistence, diligence, and perseverance, 3 positive traits belonging to Saturn and Capricorn, will likely be required. January is more about charting the course than acting on it – get clear, get real, plot the map. Previously beloved projects may lose their shine and your interest may be projected elsewhere – it’s okay to let go IF you practice the proper rumination and use realistic judgment. Letting go may be a part of your changing course!  On Jan. 15 we are released from Mercury Retrograde and the communication, transportation, and technological glitches that come with it, and we are gifted with another moment to chart a new course with the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Capricorn. This Eclipse puts emphasis on your outer place in the world and your ability to perform with responsibility and dedication. The purpose of this moment is to offer the potential to balance the home/family/nurture energy of the Lunar Eclipse that began the New Year. The completion of duties is necessary to achieve goals and accomplish dreams that are dear. This is not the time to take off the yoke – but to ponder how you will throw your weight and strength into the practical, earthy furrow before you, despite the rocks and roots in your path. In what new way can you go about these responsibilities and tasks? If the way you’ve been at it has gotten you nowhere, this New Moon Eclipse brings the opportunity to go about bringing your dreams to fruition in a new, better, way – one that leads to fulfillment. You need only do the work, while maintaining focus and integrity.  Jupiter moves into Pisces on Jan. 17, Venus moves into Aquarius on the 18^th and the Sun moves into Aquarius on the 19^th. These new positions will offer a lighter feel, a softening  toward those who suffer, perhaps a bit of rebellion against the work that is now required, and some new innovation and new ideas to put toward achieving the goals began at the Solar Eclipse. Jan. 30 offers the Full Moon in Leo, the grand, high energy moment that is the culmination of the month, letting us know that despite limits and intensity, life is worth living, particularly when shared in relationship. Open your heart, watch for drama, and give love. And try to balance “yourself in the moment” with “altruism and the big, future picture”. The last day of the month is the second exact square between Saturn and Pluto – the first occurred Nov. 15, 2009; the third will occur on Aug. 21, 2010 heralding the demise of this nine-month Saturn/Pluto era. This second square is the time that we start to understand what we’re supposed to learn from this chafing combination of energies: limits, boundaries, time and tradition from Saturn; and purging, intensity, transformation and rebirth from Pluto. The rub creates the friction necessary to motivate a huge change…what will yours be? It’s not a warm and fuzzy start to 2010, but it can be one that gifts you with the practical reality of taking control of your own life and becoming authentic – live from your true core.  Be willing to steadily pass through any crisis and wholly experience the resulting transformation. Carry this Saturn/Pluto spirit with you throughout 2010.

For Sign by Sign Forecasts for January 2010, go to the Current Forecast.

For a complete look at Mercury Retrograde in a positive light, read my article Mercury Retrograde – The Unlikely Healing Gift here.