Mercury, Uranus, the Aquarian Sun/New Moon ...plus Eclipse Effects Begin

(background): Fireworks of Star Formation inside

NGC 4214 as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope

(photo credit: NASA-JPL)

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From time to time we all turn to our favorite form of media news and year that the Sun has thrown some particularly massive wave of energy out into its solar system. (You know, where we of Earth live?)

Well, over the first part of next week (that which starts with Monday, January 19th), we of that Earth are going to encounter a rather substantial ‘wave’ (or gathering) of astrological effects, which like the solar ejection can be highly illuminating ... or blindingly bright and therefore highly problematic.

But we humans weather lots of things - we’ll weather this too. Furthermore, considering how both a New Moon and the onset of (solar) Eclipse Effects are part of this incoming coagulation, there are certainly productive things there for the doing ... we just have to choose to do them. (Isn’t that always the case?)

So here’s a day-by-day list of what’s about to grace our world - and just to be clear, dates and times are given in the UT/+0 zone:

January 20th
- Uranus conjunct the lunar South Node
- Sun in Aquarius
- New Moon at 1 Aquarius
- Eclipse Effects begin

January 21st
- Mercury retrograde at 17 Aquarius
- Germania retrograde at 1 Libra
- Uranus conjunct the lunar South Node

And now for a few details ...

JANUARY 20, 2015

In honor of the Greek Uranus (Ouranos) being the sky god,

a photo of sunset over the Vercors Mountains as seen from Grenoble, France.

(photo credit - copyright,Guillaume Piolle   CC-BY-3.0)

URANUS SOUTH NODE

Uranus-South Node effects have been with us for weeks (yea verily, even months) now. And though I seem to be sure I typed ‘19th’ somewhere in some post (I’ve looked and can’t find it) the actual is that the conjunction occurs at a few yawns after midnight on the 20th, UT/+0 time (if you find the other, post a comment and let me know, would you?).

But whatever there, over these past weeks you may have noticed yourself being a bit more on edge. Or annoyed, hassled or startled by things which ordinarily wouldn’t get your attention. That would be Uranus-South Node, the territory of upsets, surprises, psychic rattling, personal provocation and unplanned excitement.

Any nodal indication always being something about how we ‘relate’ to things or people, the South Node is what comes easily and thus Uranus conjunct the South Node can be seen as any form of Uranian energetic which either makes it easy to relate to something or others - or which changes our relationship to what something is, or who someone is. In occurring in an emotional degree of Aries we know that why we do something or why we react to something is about emotions - those which are touched in us which cause us to react ... or those being expressed by someone else which causes us to react.

Always remember: astrology is all about energy doors which swing both ways. They’re always about the positive or the negative, just as they’re always about how we may embody an energetic and act (or not act) on it - or how somebody or something in our world may embody that energetic and act as to embody the energetic and evoke its effects in us.

The degree of this conjunction being 12 Aries, there is going to be a personal aspect, as all things Aries are personal at some level, even when it’s simply what the Aries “I AM” is doing to help (or as some part in a greater process) so that someone else can go about their business. Notable with this degree is also a somewhat a protective sense of identity with things - and being that the energetic is Uranus the reason or rationalities about why we identify with or care about something isn’t precisely of our doing - it’s more about “how things are,” whether that refers to the times in which we’re living, the traditions with which we are raised or some simple if perhaps esoteric thought - something like ‘the sun rises in the east’ - which is both factual and sufficiently inexplicable as to remind us that we are not in charge of this ... or any universe.

With Uranus at 12 Aries, there is a new ‘vision’ or ‘breaking through’ which is accomplished through others and sometimes with (or among) others as we will come to understand more about what our protective Aries “I Am” feelings mean - and what they don’t mean. Known for occasionally ‘explosive’ effects, Uranian energy needs a conduit, and outlet and something to power or empower - think of Uranian energy as something akin to electricity and you’ll come close to the Uranian mix. As outcome ruler of Aquarius, Uranus releases energy in either a useful or destructive manner depending on two things: how much we know (or understand about something) and how connected we are. It’s energetics also point to questions of isolation and various forms of ‘walling off’ which limit both human potential and the potential to be equally human.

How this manifests - and how it has come to be as part of an ever-growing rattling of our sense of ‘how things work’ which in personal terms probably began somewhere around the beginning of last August (2014) ... that is individual (check where Uranus and the Nodes are, both natally and in transit). But that the times (and thus things in our world) would seem to have been metaphysically ‘conspiring’ to bring us all to where we are in this moment...

Well, maybe what needs exploding is something about us. Could it be that what’s being exploded is some myth that we are either fated to be who we are and where we are at this time ... or that we are - that we ever are - acting out of any individuality which isn’t a personal myth?

You will surely ask your questions ... this is merely one of mine. (I have a truckload, trust me.) And as we all ask, both as something we will factor into that wanting to know and as that which we do know (or think we know) which motivates us to act, be or do things in any particular manner - that’s the Sun in Aquarius part (with a healthy side order of Aquarian New Moon).

The Moon over San Diego, California

(photo credit: Rufustelestrat, 2005)

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SUN IN AQUARIUS
The ideal of Aquarius is the concept that as an (Uranian) individual we each fit into, have a place and a function as part of and are valuable and intrinsic to humanity simply because - despite our differences and perception of flaws (our own flaws or those of others) - we are human and that qualifies us right there as part of ‘humanity.’

On the other hand, Aquarius also speaks to the various responsibilities we have to work at being a person capable of doing (fulfilling) our individual part in that Aquarian thing we call a ‘society.’

Both Aquarius and the sign which precedes it (Capricorn) are zodiacal 4th quadrant signs.

They’re also both the third in their respective zodiacal elemental trios (there being three signs in each of the four zodiacal elements). So this is not concept ‘as I think of it for my own purposes’ - which is what we find with Gemini. Nor is it any idea as to who to be and how to interact with others as an interactive means by which to gain or lose others or some participation in this world as well as a primary method by which we come to understand who we are (and aren’t) and what we might have to understand about life or about others in order to succeed - all of which would be Libra’s venue (which P.S., applies across the board to members of Gen X - the Pluto in Libra generation).  

But no - this is not the thought or idea on how to interact, this is the Aquarian theory of how to live and what it means to have a ‘successful’ life - which in the Aquarius realm of individuality of concept (in which all should be individual so that it can all play a unique role in this world and place in time whether or not some find being different, that which is different or dealing with differences challenging.

(The P.S. here is “welcome to the Aquarian Age.”) 

When the Sun moves into Aquarius, our conceptualization of life (our perspective on things) moves out of the Capricorn reality of the moment and more into an Aquarian considering of what is going on.

Oh yes - Aquarius is also a fixed sign, which accounts for the ability for things not to happen or to go nowhere fast under Aquarius, and for this very fact to drive a few folks nuts to the point they bolt.

Yes, I said that. And well I might, as Aquarius is quirky - that goes along with being unique and different ... which doesn’t exactly go along with either the fixed sign ‘let’s discuss this, why change things which have worked until now?’ or the fact that we’ve just spent a month under Sun in Capricorn which has had its fair share of structural realities.

Aquarius bases all in the known and therefore of the past, that being the hall mark of Saturn as Aquarius’ foundational rulership and the underlying Aquarian rule that we must earn what we get through Aquarian means which, because all things techy and digital are Aquarian means we can also end up getting what we earn in that ever-so consequential sense which is so very Saturn.

Of course that’s not the only difference between the astrological Saturn and astrology’s Uranus - another big difference between them is their association with, and perspective on the values of time. The established, time-tested and respected is very Saturn; the new, the singular, the thing of the moment is Uranian. Put them together and you’ll get friction - or rebellion (Aquarius is famous for rebels, rebellions and elitism of many flavors and kinds) - all of which has nothing to do with Aquarian purpose and under Aquarius (a global and impersonal sign) which sets the universal standards, whether that’s how much power it takes to power a light bulb or what the decent and human way to treat another human being really is.

Aquarius knows about difference. But in the end, only the universal works, which is why during caste and class has no place in the Aquarian Age - a notion which extends to every other bias of every kind ... again, without Aquarian-barred exception.

The Aquarian purpose is to invent, discover and keeping up with our times. Some take this literally to the society/social side by going through life ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ while others become all about improving circumstances and a ‘world’ of opportunities from which all can benefit - both of which representing ways to earn respect and a place for our Self in this world ... the success of which effort having everything to do (astrologically) with the house Aquarius is on in a natal chart plus the placement and nature of Saturn and Uranus (as Aquarius’ two rulers) and the houses they are posited in. 

So with that as the generic as the Sun enters Aquarius at 9:44 a.m. on January 20th, there are also the aspects to that Sun entering Aquarius which we should take in as a concept and part of the setting we’re setting off into. For one, as we enter Aquarius there are some costs to be incurred, accounted for, or put into perspective. Our initial reaction to said costs (represented by the Moon and Virgo still in Capricorn, ‘trailing’ the Aquarian Sun) finds us ill-equipped and perhaps  too overburdened or “confined” by things we think of as inescapable realities (whether they are or not) .

So what are we going to do? Over the next solar month we’re likely to deal with the legacy of a few decisive decisions and attempts to move out of (or away from) some outmoded base. And how well or how not well we deal with that has much to do with how well or ill-equipped we are when it comes to getting a clarified view on ourselves ... and our Self, for good and for ill.

It’s an individual thing, one might say.

Whatever your individual situation, after the Sun shifts into Aquarius, theoretically there will be a couple of hours of shifting into conceptual gear, and then a 0 Aquarius New Moon formulates at 1:15 in the afternoon, providing another starting line - that which will basically track a personal ‘inside my life’ month between   or emotion-provoking we will follow .

NEW MOON at 0 AQUARIUS
Though a New Moon and the Sun ingressing a new sign are very different things, they do represent a very particular metaphysical pairing as the Sun represents consciousness and the very act of being alive where the Moon represents our many ways of responding or reacting to what life is or may become. So every month’s New Moon is, in a very real sense, the date on which everything we are going to feel ourselves experiencing during that month and its cycle (all the lunar phases) describes our doing just that. And in this case of this particular month, as the New Moon is at zero degrees we know that this lunar month (which ends late on February 18th, UT/+0 time with the Sun and Moon at 29 Aquarius) is going to manifest with a full spectrum of Aquarian opportunities, discussions, frustrations and aims, one which comes equipped with the opportunity to be included and inclusive as well as a chance of being exclusive or excluded as questions about groups, collections, collectives, systems, societies and electronics will emerge as the motivation for (as well as the subject of) dispassionate inspection and/or fervent evaluations.

As to the degree 0 Aquarius, it has a reputation for swift choices and actions, though they’re not always to the point. The idea, the ideal, the belief in humanity comes as part and parcel of this first degree of Aquarius - but that can get (or become) neutralized either by need or the type of insecurity which comes from needing to prove something to our Self, never mind anyone else. 0 Aquarius is a degree which generally indicates a need for an education, though this may not be a books-and-classroom type of education but rather the sort of mentoring or training which provides guidance and/or structure without being overly restrictive or judgmental.

So in whatever way, we will all be looking to learn something this month ... and we will learn something, whether we’re looking to or not. A few will cling to that they know simply because they know (and are comfortable with) it, but most of us are likely to learn something about non-conformist attitudes this month, including at least some thread or notion which pertains to how much of a gamble, necessity or gift any given willingness (or talent) to ‘buck the system’ really is.

All this is what it is in itself. Beyond that, it’s also the beginning of a longer process - that of introducing us to eclipse effects which will be with us into and through this coming March as Mercury and asteroid Germania go retrograde.

 From NASA's Solar Dynamic's Observatory (SDO) the Moon

is caught moving in front of the Sun

(photo credit: NASA, October 7, 2010)

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ECLIPSE EFFECTS BEGIN 
As eclipse effects begin to take hold, Uranus is still conjuncting the South Node, suggesting that part of the function of events of the moment pertains to some sort of ‘habit’ or ‘status quo’ we have been living with (or which we have lived with) which for whatever reason now turns out to be something (or someone) we can’t - or shouldn’t - ‘relate’ to, or be in relationship with.

Again - that being what it is in its own right, for Uranus to be conjuncting the South Node in this very moment also makes it part of eclipse effects starting up ... which suggests we need some sort of change or shake up to either learn from, or as a first ‘step’ of some sort towards the ultimate message we will experience through (and throughout) this eclipse.

The solar eclipse in question is a total eclipse at 29 Pisces which is going to occur on March 20th at 9:37 a.m. (UT/+0 time) - which means (oh, by the way) that we went from a Scorpio/Taurus eclipse sequence to a North-Node-in-Virgo/South-Node-in-Pisces eclipse sequence, omitting the Libra/Aries eclipse sequence entirely.

Apart from the fact that a lot of Libra and Aries people are now applauding and cheering rather madly (you’re welcome) (just don’t get too comfortable; as of 2023 there’s a whole North-Node-in-Aries/South-Node-in-Libra sequence to deal with) ... after thinking long and hard about what this may be signaling, it would seem that neither our basic concept of what life is or what relationships are about is going to change.

So humans as humans will survive to be human. (I know - aren’t you glad?) But beyond that, we are going to now start dealing with the many and various ways we each and all avoid emotions and/or emotional situations (or confrontations) right down to what it means not to take (or have taken) responsibility for our emotionalism, the lack thereof or what we done or not done because of our feelings, or because we wouldn’t allow ourselves to feel.

Pisces requires that we are real. So wherever we aren’t being real (including all the reasons why we aren’t being real-or-realistic), that’s what any Pisces solar eclipse worth its corona is going to pull out of us.

In fact, 29 Pisces is particularly noted for its requirements. And well it might: among other things, 29 Pisces is the last degree of the last sign in the zodiac - so what goes undone now, truly goes undone.

But that may not be clear yet. And even if it is, there is some sort of months-long growth process we all will be confronting soon enough.

No, we don’t want to do it.

We will anyway.

JANUARY 21, 2015

A mosaic image of Mercury composed of 18 photographs taken by Mariner 10

(photo credit: NASA, March 1974)

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MERCURY and GERMANIA RETROGRADE 
Since no sooner do eclipse effects begin but Mercury goes retrograde (at 3:55 in the afternoon at 17 Aquarius), there are surely come of us who are asserting ourselves at least enough to take on our own challenges ... though it’s to be expected that a lot of people will simply be taking care of daily necessities without outwardly working on reinventing the(ir) world. (At least their place in it.)

A fuller discussion of Mercury surely is deserved here, but since that was the subject of the previous post (the one right before this one) I’ll just refer you there.

But I will add one note to what I’ve already written, namely that asteroid Germania will be going retrograde at 1 Libra in tandem with Mercury’s turn.To the degree involved here, when you look at astrological writings, they suggest the degree 1 Libra refers to something which needs to be understood, as that that thing is ... that's unlikely to change much, and when we don't understand it - not only do we undermine our own ability to get what we want in any given situation, but we are (essentially) doing so by projecting our opinions (and the associated assumption that others or life in general is going to agree with us) onto that which we evidently haven't fully considered to begin with.

Germania tends to indicate a place where something or some quality is applied or utilized with strength and determination. For it to be turning to retrograde in this degree suggests 'pulling back' on the application side of things ... or to realize that we are 'overdoing it' in some way, or why we are doing something - which may or may not include a recognition as to why 'they' (or some situation) aren't-or-isn't responding to our declaration (insistence) in the manner we had been thinking they would (read: in the manner we wanted them to).

And that would be because retrograde cycles are about what we need to learn about ourselves ...not others.

Still, since 1 Libra is also a degree affected rather hugely by super massive black hole M87 ... and since astrologically, black holes are all about alternatives (in this case an ‘alternative’ [Libra] relationship or way to [Libra] ‘relate’) or coming to recognize another perspective or way to approach something ... the net of all would seem to be a re-examining (the station-retrograde effect) of some position of strength, a strongly held or 'backed' position, some some strong relationship and/or need to relate (or not relate) to someone, something or ...since Mercury is going retrograde in Aquarius ... some group,concept, thrust or other Aquarian issue of power, fitting in, being ostracized from (or by), and all the many questions of separatism and/or unity which are currently in play or which will arise at this time across the societal spectrum, calling our attention to ways of [Mercury) thinking about or [Germania] dealing with social, societal (economic, political, humanistic, marketplace) doings.

All of these are likely to be related to whatever we need to deal with under Mercury retrograde ... or to what we will be doing under Mercury retrograde because something else is (for the present) not (yet) really going anywhere. As for whether this more immediate-feeling Mercury (Germania) cycle contributes to the two-months of 'breaking down' our resistance (perhaps to some personal status quo or thinking) which we would associate with eclipse effects - that will tend to be a little more individual, having to do first with whether the eclipse's 29 Pisces position affects your natal chart and secondarily with whether Mercury's station aspects your natal chart.

What degrees would those be?

For the eclipse, degrees between 24 and 29 of any sign are affected, as are degrees between 0 and 4 of any sign and the signs which stand to have the most obvious difficulties being:

The Conjunction:

24 through 29 degrees of Pisces

plus 0 through 4 degrees of Aries.

The Opposition:

24 through 29 degrees of Virgo

plus 0 through 4 degrees of Libra.

The Squares:

24 through 29 degrees of Sagittarius (or) Gemini

plus 0 through 4 degrees of Capricorn (or) Cancer.

And for Mercury, look for the following:

The Conjunction:

12 through 22 Aquarius

The Opposition:

12 through 22 Leo

The Squares:

12 through 22 Scorpio (or) Taurus

Conjunctions are when things happen ... or when we have no choice but to deal with something on some level. Oppositions differ from conjunctions in that they're more of a confrontation with something - the question being how we're going to deal with it (which sounds a bit like the echo of Germania stationing at 1 Libra, doesn't it?) ... and squares test our ability to balance different things against each other with the challenge being how to consider, support or utilize all things to best effect according to what they are - a set of qualities which are not necessarily going to be to our pleasure.

As the Uranus-South Node effects, those can be expected to linger on into and through Thursday, January 22nd, which means they let up just about when Mercury’s retrograde (which will remain with us until February 11th) is in full swing, pulling back - or causing us to pull back on on that which now needs working through.

And the eclipse? Eclipse effects will continue to evolve through March 20th - the date of the eclipse. Even after that we'll be feeling its effects.

Yet first comes Mercury retrograde. Evidently we have some things (and thinking) to do - and some of it concerns things we're not comfortable with or which don't fit our personal 'agenda.' But here’s the choice: we can do what we don’t want to do (and through that, learn what we don’t want to have to know) ... or we can fall victim to our fears, our ignorance or the arrogance of thinking that we 'know it all' and that our word goes, losing out on some opportunity we're being given now to learn - and from that to figure out what to do with (not about, with) all things which surely lie ahead.
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