Act at Once!
Dates and times are given for U.S. Pacific Time zone.
Yes! – and More!
Even when the schedule is already packed, we’re out of groceries, and we’ve been wearing the same clothes for days because there’s no time to do laundry, it can be surprisingly hard to turn down tempting opportunities to do even more. But the Sun’s sextile to Jupiter (Jan. 24, 2023, 5:30 pm PST, 4º47’ Aquarius/Aries) is a reminder that we needn’t take every opportunity that comes our way.
The Sun loves making contact with Jupiter. Every creative idea, every opportunity for fun seems even more dazzling in combination with the god of Big Ideas. Jupiter is that terrific friend who says “Yes! – and more!” to everything you propose. A night out with Jupiter is such fun… until it becomes exhausting.
At this sextile, the Sun is on the Sabian symbol 5 Aquarius: A council of ancestors, and Jupiter is on 5 Aries, A triangle with wings. That triangle with wings reminds me of a grand trine configuration, in which three or more planets are all connected to each other by a 120 degree aspect, an aspect that symbolizes a lack of impediment or interruption. “Hooray!” we might think. “Nothing stands in our way!” But the council of ancestors are standing by with a gentle word of warning. Don’t go too far, too fast. Think things through before you leap. Have fun, but know when it’s time to say goodnight.
Who’s Sleeping on Your Couch?
This week, Venus enters Pisces (Jan. 26, 2023, 6:33 pm PST, through February 19). I will freely admit to a positive bias where Venus in Pisces is concerned: my mother had this Venus placement, and a dearer person never lived. She believed the best in everyone, and those who knew her strove to live up to her expectations and avoid disappointing her.
But life with her also had its quirks. We grew accustomed to passing through the living room of our tiny house in the morning and encountering random, down-on-their luck acquaintances crashing on our sofa. We picked up some of her less-than-optimal financial and dietary habits, like running up credit card debt and washing down Hostess cupcakes with Pepsi…for breakfast.
Back then, I felt guilty about being a cranky, judgmental introvert who never lived up to my mother’s selfless example. But throughout my life, I’ve internalized some of her lessons—albeit with a little fine tuning. For instance, on the other side of my second Saturn return I’m much better able to control my temper and am a lot more tolerant, which would make her proud. And luckily, I’ve also managed to eliminate debt from my life and embrace oatmeal.
Venus is exalted in Pisces, meaning Venus does some of her very best work here. We’re closest to achieving unconditional love with Venus in Pisces, most proximate to our gentlest, most generous and lovable selves. But one caveat: Venus in Pisces will make a conjunction with Neptune in this sign in a few weeks, and this emphasizes the impractical nature of both. So spend wisely, eat nutritiously, and be sure you know who’s sleeping on your couch.
Act at Once!
The mandate of a First Quarter Moon is to take action, however small, toward a goal. This week’s Taurus First Quarter Moon (Jan. 28, 2023, 7:19 am PST), conjoined Uranus and the North Node, reminds me of something my husband’s uncle used to say: “Whatever you do will be wrong, act at once!” We can’t always wait around for the time to be right, or for a predictable outcome, before we act. In fact, taking instinctive action without an assured outcome is the entire point of a First Quarter Moon.
This feisty, unpredictable, Uranian-flavored First Quarter Moon is a turning point in the Lunar Phase Family cycle that began with the April 30, 2022 New Moon/Solar Eclipse (10°28’ Taurus), itself very closely conjoined with Uranus. Eclipses symbolize moments of change – doubly so, in close aspect to Uranus – and mark the times and the ways in which we’re challenged to move away from the comfort of the nest and move in a new direction. Even after the Lunar Nodes leave Taurus and Scorpio in July, this Lunar Phase Family will continue the work of that 2022 eclipse: a process of releasing the Scorpio South Node’s distrust and suspicion and embracing the Taurus North Node’s trust, stability, and enjoyment of the physical world. (Look to the Oct. 28, 2023 Full Moon and July 27, 2024 Last Quarter Moon for the final critical installments in this story.)
Filled with Heart
The Sun trines Mars on Jan. 29, 2023 at 5:45 PM Pacific Time, at 9°53’ Aquarius and Gemini. Put this one on the calendar, because it’s a tremendous aspect for promoting yourself and anything that you do that’s creative.
The combination of the Sun and Mars brings confidence and creativity together in a burst of energy; we want to take on the world. The trine aspect that connects the two is something of a mixed blessing, suggesting that matters flow so easily that we may become complacent. But Mars – always working, striving, determined – counteracts this tendency, making this an especially rewarding day for sharing yourself and your gifts.
However, the Sun’s Sabian symbol degree gives a message that may seem discouraging: 10 Aquarius, A popularity that proves ephemeral. But never mind – the Sun isn’t really a symbol of popularity, but rather about expressing your real self, creating from your heart and not out of a desire to be popular. If you’re feeling right now as though your social capital is diminished, take heart. Enjoy this moment, with Mars standing by to support and encourage (literally, “fill with heart”) you – the real you. Gratefully welcome the good ideas that pour in effortlessly, and the energy and courage it takes to make something of them.
Trouble or Creativity
This week, Mercury concludes a series of three trines with Uranus (Jan. 29, 2023, 6:16 pm PST; the previous two were on Dec. 17, 2022 and Jan. 8, 2023), each of which has brought us a little closer to our brightest thinking and most innovative ideas.
The Sabian symbol for Mercury at this trine is 15 Capricorn: Many toys in a children’s ward of a hospital. I was reminded recently how an illness lays us out for so long that, once we feel a bit better (but not well enough to do much), we become thoroughly bored. And boredom is always exciting, because it leads either to trouble or creativity.
In this case, I’m imagining creativity rather than trouble will win the day, because the aspect between the planets is an easy-going trine, and because of that Sabian symbol, with all those toys and at least some bored kids. Not to mention the symbol for Uranus, 15 Taurus: A man muffled up with a rakish silk hat. He’s still a little fragile, perhaps, muffled up with a big scarf – but, that hat! Something exciting is going on in that head of his.
Here’s a week for ideas, for becoming reinvigorated. Even if our bodies are still partly in the hospital ward, our brains and spirits are ready to go out for a test drive.
Writing and collages © 2017-2023 April Elliott Kent
