AstroCast: January 21 – February 3, 2021

By the time this new period ends, there will be five planets in the fixed air sign of Aquarius: The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. Fixed signs represent the middle phase of the life cycle of something wherein strength is developed and power accumulated to sustain it over time. As the last of the fixed signs, Aquarius correlates to the individual’s development of a mature use of power in relation to others, society and all existence, and ultimately to put it into the service of something much greater than us. Aquarius teaches us to focus our power for the benefit of humanity so that collectively we and those who come after us, can creatively collectively thrive long into the future, rather than die prematurely or merely survive in a stunted, fearful world where isolated self-interest rules. This question of the right use of power is very much in discussion on the world stage right now. We are digging into the deeper, darker side of our collective psyche and identifying the myopic fears preventing us from maturing and fulfilling the unique cosmic need each of has, as represented in our natal birth chart. Addressing this issue, however, begins with each individual. Masses don’t evolve but people can. In fact, the way the mass consciousness improves is through the individual efforts of each of us. Developing a mature use of power requires each of us to take responsibility for the life we are living – to claim authorship of it – without casting blame on others.

Variations on the archetypal patterns from the last period continue, indicating a further amplification of the cosmic message for each of us to answer the call of placing our personal power in service to humanity. As discussed in the last AstroCast, a fractious five-planet square unfolded in fixed signs between Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius and Mars and Uranus in Taurus. On January 22, the longer lasting first quarter “crisis of action” square between Mars and Jupiter comes to exactitude and will be in effect for another month. Big, bold movements are a hallmark of this planetary pair and, Jupiter’s zealous expansion of Mars’ drive for self-determination was on reckless display during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 as thousands of civil war-minded white nationalist QAnon conspiracy theory believers burst onto the world stage, taking many by surprise as a force to be seriously reckoned with.

Although Mercury has now moved out of orb of the longer lasting Jupiter/Saturn square to Mars/Uranus, the Sun extends the period of intensification and struggle to integrate these archetypes when it moves through this configuration January 23 to February 1. The Sun threading the tight degree space between Jupiter and Saturn effectively re-focus’ our attention on the new seed ideas being released at this time as part of the era-defining 20-year cycle that commenced with the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction last December at 0° Aquarius. The Sun energizing the societal planets of expansion and contraction focuses our will and purpose on updating our Jupiterian philosophies, morals and ethics, while manifesting evolved Saturnian systemic structures that can move humanity forward, hopefully to a more sustainable, equitable future.

The Sun, fortified by Saturn and Jupiter, in an agitating square to Mars and Uranus in Taurus tests the strength of our values and whether they can withstand the increasingly pressurized conflict between the ideologies exemplified in the white nationalist movement and the Black Lives Matter movement. Aquarius and its ruler Uranus govern ideological groups and organizations wherein individuals come together to work for a cause. The insurrectionists consider themselves revolutionaries fighting to claim back what was perceived as taken away from them as society became more inclusive of people of color. And yet, they declared they were following Trump, an authoritarian leader who himself was parroting the language of the movement developed since the origins of the U.S. and finely tuned over recent decades. This retrogressive side of Uranus, which is still highly amplified since it turned direct on January 14, was clearly on display at the Capitol in January 6.

At the midpoint of the Sun’s triggering Jupiter/Saturn square Mars/Uranus, the Full Moon in Leo on January 28 cycles through oppositions to the Aquarius stellium, and squares to the Taurus planets all on the same day. Peaking at the Full Moon, this powerful six-planet T-square in fixed signs is likely to test our resoluteness and determination, and require us to summon enough persistent focus and concentrated energy to channel our accumulated power in healing the effects of this deep fracture in our collective psyche. The annual Full Moon in Leo confronting the Sun in Aquarius represents the peak of the lunar cycle that began with the New Moon in Capricorn on January 12, which asked us to act authentically with the utmost personal integrity and sense of responsibility. The Leo/Aquarius polarity teaches us to integrate the creative impulse of the individual who needs the resources of society to project its creations out into the world, with the society that in turn needs the creations of the individual to establish its culture. After this shocking wakeup call in the U.S., many are now leaning into Uranus’ evolutionary call to question their long-held beliefs and become one’s own authority. I’ve heard many moving accounts from those who had been immersed in the Machiavellian false narratives of the white nationalist movement and now are sharing how they woke up to the manipulations and were able to integrate the truth of what they discovered into a new more inclusive state of being.

Turning up the heat on the day of the Full Moon T-square, Venus conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn on January 28, marking the commencement of a new annual Venus/Pluto cycle that emphasizes authenticity in relationships and a deep connection with our core values. This planetary pair can lead us to have profoundly deep experiences that reveal our vulnerabilities as well as our intrinsic, soulful beauty. These experiences could happen within relationships, but also by exposure to any form of expression that touches the heart and can open us to an indelible transforming moment. There is a dark side as well, of course, that depending on our state, can manifest as an externalized obsessive need to control others as compensation for a lack of true connection with one’s internal sense of empowerment.

On January 30, Mercury turns retrograde at 26° Aquarius. This commences the ending review phase of the four-month Sun/Mercury cycle that commenced on October 25. Due to the retrograde, Mercury will remain much longer than the normal three weeks in Aquarius, through March 15. It will traverse back to 11° Aquarius – back into tight conjunction with Jupiter and Saturn just as the latter forms the first of three exact squares with Uranus dominating the archetypal landscape throughout 2021. This suggests a strong need for prolonged, thoughtful focus on how we can be more of service to society by investing in ourselves and others to make the world a better place. This is how we can put our personal power to good use.