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by Terry Lamb, M.A., C.A.

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New to astrology? Read on and ignore the technical bits. There's plenty here for you too! Why don’t I write horoscopes for each sign?

THIS WILL BE A YEAR OF TRANSITION. When any of the planets changes signs (called an ingress), we take on a new mission with respect to that planet. Understandably, the task we take on when the Moon changes signs every 2-3 days is of less impact than, say, Uranus, which changes every seven years. There are six planets (all those Jupiter and beyond) whose ingresses are felt in this way. In 2010, we are working with four of them: Jupiter, Saturn, Chiron, and Uranus. In addition, Jupiter makes a rare two sign changes this year.

There are three processes that we deal with when a slow-moving planet changes signs. First, we feel a hurry-up energy as the planet goes through the end of the old sign that it has been in for sometimes many years. Just as we are preparing for a new vision with this planet now, we did so when it entered the sign it is now leaving. We feel an urge to complete our old task, to clear the decks for the new one. We evaluate and assess: Did we do the right thing? Did we live up to our own expectations? Did we live by our own moral code? What did we learn?

Then, when the planet enters the new sign, we feel a lift, a shift. We feel newness and experience a vision of the future. This is the future that our deepest, truest self wants us to fulfill in order to grow our potential. Sometimes there’s fear mixed with the excitement and joy of a new beginning, but there is always the renewal process that gives us hope and brings back our youthful enthusiasm. We are uplifted, energized, and propelled forward.

Since all the slow planets retrograde, they commonly move back into the old sign temporarily during its retrograde of the year. This is true of all four planets in 2010. During that time, we get to try a “do-over” or make another run at finishing what we left hanging. We have this odd feeling of having a foot in each world. We want to rush into the future, but we can’t get there before we’re ready. Often we are trying to manage both directives at once (old and new) with respect to that planet.

Finally, once the planets enter their new sign, they connect with the other planets in new ways. This gives us the feeling of being in unfamiliar territory, as new twists occur in old plots and the stories we are playing out head off in new directions.

Now multiply these three processes by four, and you get what 2010 is all about!

We Seek Balance and Harmony.
Saturn was the first to introduce us to a new directive when it entered Libra on October 29 (2009). It will go back into Virgo for several months this year, permitting us to tie up loose ends with restructuring projects begun in September 2007.

Saturn asks us to consider how we take risks. What do you fear? What do you consider to be safe? Expand your zone of safety, and you’ll be more comfortable in the world and with Saturn, because you’ll be more willing to break free of old structures that keep you stuck. What we fear lies in the zone of risk. Fear is overcome in part by knowledge, to push away the boundaries of the unknown.

With Saturn in Libra, we have to restructure the balance (harmony) we have in our lives: work versus play, love versus duty, giving versus receiving, partnership versus individuality, routine versus creativity, risk versus safety. If any of these are out of balance, we are looking for ways to bring them back to center.

Dream On!
The first planet to change signs in the new year is Jupiter, which enters Pisces on the 17th. This is the second sign of Jupiter’s rulership, a place this planet calls home. Just like any of us, Jupiter is very comfortable in its home sign and becomes itself, only more so. ;)

You can think of Jupiter in Pisces as a bit of a bull in a china shop. It may lead the unaware to engage in wild flights of fantasy that are hard to imagine in saner moments. Yet, who is to say what is impossible? This is especially true with Jupiter in the same sign as Uranus. These two planets are best known for their exceptionalism. They both push the envelope, reach for the stars, and make hay out of inspiration. Under these planets’ interaction, we get some of the greatest advances in technology and flights of creativity. If we can balance our imagination with our pragmatism, this is indeed a planetary event full of great potential.

We’ll feel lift-off as soon as Jupiter enters Pisces, as it rushes to connect with Uranus. It makes three contacts with Uranus to give us plenty of nectar to fuel our hive of creativity.

Jupiter breezes right through Pisces in 5 months, going into Aries before it retrogrades, so we get two ingresses of Jupiter this year instead of the usual one. When it does so, it hooks up with Saturn and Pluto, giving us a complex and challenging mid-year pattern in cardinal signs (Aries, Libra, Capricorn). Cardinal signs are naturally assertive, and they bring out our competitiveness.

Uranus Opens a New Era.
Uranus also nips briefly into Aries this year, just to give us a taste of the future. As it does so, it touches in with Pluto, bringing into the forefront sweeping changes that must be made. We are being challenged to fulfill the promise made in the mid-60s to take care of the planet and its citizens better. This year we will get some opening salvos hinting at the times to come. They will be exciting, creating openness in our lives that makes us available to fulfill our deepest yearnings. Those longings are our soul’s wish for what role we will fulfill in these times of great transition.

Chiron Paves New Roads to Healing.
When Chiron enters Pisces this year, we will start to notice that our healing path is less about mental clearing and more about the subtle energies that move in and around our bodies. Although it re-enters Aquarius for a few months, we can look forward to eight years of becoming more attuned to this aspect of our nature.

January’s Planets: Eclipses Open a New Chapter in the Book of Life.
The list of planetary events this month is short but full of punch. We enter the month just following a Lunar Eclipse, and with both Mercury and Mars retrograde; all of these are felt in our daily lives. The eclipse is the first of two — the second is on January 14, a Solar Eclipse. (See Chart A.) Eclipses occur every six months and open a new chapter to our lives. This chapter will focus us on making sure our deepest needs are being met and challenge us to break up old rigid patterns that keep us stuck. The eclipses lead us to answer the question, “What do I need to change to make it easier for me to meet my deepest needs?” The next six months will bring us closer to the answer to that question.

Mercury Plays the Trickster Again.
Mercury continues its backward travel through Capricorn through the 15th. Since December 26, we’ve been refining our ideas and plans for the new year, even though we thought we had that settled a while before. Mercury could also give us a “time out” from our usual routines through illness, mechanical breakdowns, and other unscheduled events. These times away from the usual focus always enrich us with new perspectives. If we can be alert for the value-added aspect of these side effects, we can see how the magic of the universe is operating in our lives, even if Mercury is tugging our pigtails a little at the same time.

Mars Brings Us to a Peak of Action.
Mars stays retrograde through January, reaching the peak of its cycle on January 31. This layer of our life can feel like we’re preparing for something. Just like Mercury, it may take us out of our routine. Look back to see what has been different — developed in unexpected ways — since early to mid December. You may have experienced a shake-up of some sort, an event or circumstance that is forcing you to look at life in a new way — and it could be a relief. This process is especially focused on breaking down areas of resistance in our system so that we can respond to life’s ups and downs with more strength.

Saturn Urges Us to Double Our Efforts.
Saturn reaches the 1/3 point in its yearly cycle, the time when it begins its retrograde period. It brings us a concentrated flow of energy for about a week either side of the 13th, when it makes its standstill. We are working on bringing our life into balance in places where we feel compromised or out of harmony. The emphasis is on work: Chances are, we’ll be very busy with projects to accomplish these goals at this time. As Saturn (or any planet) turns retrograde, its energies are stronger. (We are actually closer to the planet at this time.) For five months, we are more conscious of ways we need to build something new and actively involved in doing it, making adjustments as we go.

Begin to Live Without Pain (or at Least Less of It).
We do not encounter Saturn alone, however. It is linked very strongly to Pluto all month long, making its second (of three) exact contact (a square) on January 31. We will feel this with increasing intensity as we approach this date. The emphasis will be on clearing deeply held outmoded beliefs and misunderstandings about life. While this can be painful in the moment, it ends the everyday chronic pain of oppression that these thoughts generate until they are released. Why not end that pain now, while we have access to our deepest inner reaches? Internal anguish can be healed, and it frequently results in a reduction of physical pain.

Relationships Are in the Spotlight.
Lending grace to our experiences are the Sun and Venus. They are traveling companions, with Venus finally moving past the Sun after months of chasing it. Venus softens our experiences, lends a note of grace. This combination also emphasizes social activities and partnerships where love is the centerpiece of the relationship (as opposed to business ties). Whatever happens this month puts love in the spotlight.

The Planets Buddy Up Again.
The planets make a cluster that tightens as we reach the end of the month. (See Chart B.) They will continue in a bundle like this in February, then spread out over the rest of the year. When they are in a bundle, we feel new ideas and projects come into focus as new one-year cycles commence.

January In Depth

January 1-3
Following the Full Moon (Lunar Eclipse), we emerge slowly from the changes we experienced during the holidays — it wasn’t an ordinary holiday season!

January 4-11
On the 4th, we reach a peak of awareness as the Sun and Mercury retrograde conjoin. Situations we’ve been working on since December 26 turn a corner now. This is followed sweetly by a Mercury-Venus conjunction, but with Mercury retrograde perhaps not as sweetly as we would like. Let go of expectations. Venus catches the Sun on the 11th after 8 months of pursuit. She becomes less “warrior-like” now according to ancient lore as she trails the Sun over the horizon. We are inclined to be a little lazy today and bent toward pleasure, but chances are it’s well deserved and will lead to renewed creative expression.

January 12-17
Most of the month’s major events occur over these six days, and they grab our attention as a single energy starting on the 12th, when we start to feel the Solar Eclipse (New Moon). (Chart A.) On the 13th, Saturn enters its five-month retrograde period (apparent backward motion). Mercury returns to forward motion on the 15th, and stops sending us “special messages”. All of these events may be reflected in startling events, but we’ll feel renewed optimism and see a brighter future as Jupiter enters Pisces on the 17th.

January 18–24
Venus and Sun enter Aquarius on the 18th and 19th, then we get a few days to mellow out and assimilate Saturn’s role in our lives as a series of contacts highlight this planet. Since Pluto is activated with Saturn, we get insights into his hidden realms as well.

January 25–29
Mars is the most active planet now, as it opposes Venus and then the Sun during this time. The Sun-Mars connection on the 29th marks the halfway point in Mars’s retrograde period, creating a peak in whatever special tasks and projects we’ve taken on since December 20. We can anticipate completing these no later than March 10, but some will be finished on the crest of this wave. The Sun-Mars opposition also brings out latent or unresolved conflicts and can result in separations. By tempering our reactions, we can ease such unpleasantries in our life. The effects are underscored as the Full Moon occurs on the same day.

January 30-31
Once Mars passes its peak, it leaves exposed the underlying matter we’ve been dealing with since early November: the Saturn-Pluto square. The second of three of these occurs on the 31st, but happily the Moon sweetened the energy by harmonizing with Pluto. There is a way out of the dilemmas we face.

January presents us with the first of several bright new beginnings for 2010. Even though we have to deal with the darkness within us as well, every time we release those energies we increase our light quotient and feel more joy.

Significant Planetary Events

Mercury and Mars are retrograde. Saturn is in exaltation.

All dates are based on Pacific Time.
Blue = harmonious/Red or orange = challenging/intense/black = neutral
Events in bold are more significant.

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© Terry Lamb