Monthly Vedic Astrology Forecast

Mars remains in Scorpio January 1 - January 29

We may not be completely out of the water yet, however, as Mars remains in Scorpio through the end of January. What is fascinating about Mars is his ultimate power to both harm and destroy, as well as to heal and build. The immense suffering caused by the December 26, 2004 earthquake/tsunami is nearly unparalleled in known human history. The shock of that disaster has already cast aside at least some of the human generated animosity and fighting in the devastated region. It could be that, in the face of coping with such loss, stubborn grudges and misunderstandings that pit man against man may fall by the wayside, and give way to a sense of brotherhood and unity. Mars has the chance to create a better infrastructure in those affected areas, including warning systems. At any rate, Mars, from Scorpio, is currently aspecting earth-shaking Uranus, and will do so until he moves into Sagittarius on January 29. There could be tremors and aftershocks throughout the month, which you can keep track of on the USGS website. In fact, sometimes I think Mars destroys things just so he can rebuild them, which brings about the idea of the "wounding healer" archetype.

Mercury and Venus enter Sagittarius January 4 - January 5

Mercury and Venus will join the Sun in Sagittarius early in the month, Venus on January 4 and Mercury on January 5. As these two planets move out of Scorpio, they will have a bit more leeway to act outside of Mars' intense, destructive influence. This may signal a move from helplessness in the midst of chaos to a more focused, organized state of compassion and connection. When Mercury moves into Sagittarius, he will be exchanging signs with Jupiter, who is in Virgo. This will afford us all an opportunity to take advantage of an environment that will support learning, teaching, exchanging, and communication. Jupiter's mission is to guide us toward wisdom, while Mercury's intelligence distributes that knowledge and wisdom. While this configuration remains, through the end of January, participating in activities that require using intelligence and communication to acquire/spread wisdom are recommended.

New Moon in Sagittarius January 10

The new Moon occurs in the early hours of January 10 in Jupiter's sign of Sagittarius. This would be a great month to begin anything involving teaching, learning, expanding horizons, travel, spiritual or religious exploration. Jupiter, the most auspicious of the planets gains in strength this month, and can hopefully create a positive atmosphere for growth. The new Moon will see four planets in Jupiter's fire sign, Sagittarius: Sun, Moon, Venus and Mercury. The planets remaining in Sagittarius by the 14^th when Saturn retrogrades into Gemini will then fall under Saturn's aspect. No matter where we turn, we can never escape the serious influence of Saturn for long. It is advisable to check all connections and proceed slowly and with detachment as we proceed with our New Year's resolutions and Sagittarian adventures.

Retrograde Saturn Moves Into Gemini January 14

Saturn, with his stern lessons of detachment, plays a role as well. Saturn is known to foster calamities, illnesses, and separation in order to convey to the "I, Me, Mine" portion of ourselves, otherwise known as "ego," that we really do not have control over our lives, our planet, or whatever we hold dear, and that the way to transcend the suffering of the world is through detachment and surrender to the Divine. While this may sound harsh and insensitive, keep in mind that Saturn has a job to do, and done well, affords us persistence, forbearance, and resilience. Also, there are other planets that represent the soft, fun, and gushy side of life. Saturn's current state of retrograde motion means that he is a bit closer to the earth right now, relatively, and pushes from his current position onto Jupiter, who gives us abundance, joy, and well being. Saturn has been casting this aspect on Jupiter since August 2003 when Saturn moved into Gemini and Jupiter moved into Leo. Saturn and Jupiter moved into Cancer and Virgo, respectively, in September 2004, however, they remained in the same position relative to each other, which is where the power of planetary aspect lies. On January 14, Saturn moves slowly back into the sign of Gemini where he will amble through until late May, 2005. This will be our first period in 1.5 years where Saturn is not aspecting Jupiter. Perhaps this will be a time to regain a bit of hope, to gain some ground, and to try to make sense of the hard times and translate that into our library of knowledge and wisdom.

Full Moon in Cancer January 25

As the Moon waxes through the month, it passes by Rahu in the very early degrees of Aries on January 17 and then passes by Saturn in the late degrees of Gemini on January 24 before it reaches fullness in its own sign of Cancer on January 25. The full Moon in Cancer would be a great time to celebrate and practice any form of motherhood, caring, or nurturing. Hone your sensibilities in order to perceive what those under your care truly need at this time.

All told, January generally looks like a month to change gears, and perhaps to become a bit more focused and grounded after chaotic times. There may be shaky ground at times, but we seem to be heading toward a constructive period. May the auspicious Jupiter guide those who are lost, may compassionate Venus apply her soothing balm to those who suffer, and may swift Mercury aid us all in connecting our resources with those in need.

Mars enters Sagittarius January 30

The theme of choosing faith over fear seems to be playing out strongly in the months to come. Pluto, the outer planet that carries a more subtle version of Mars' energy, and which is associated with deep, dangerous, and intense instances of power and resource, moves into Sagittarius this month, ushered by Mars himself, who moves from Scorpio to Sagittarius on January 30th, where he remains through mid-March. Sagittarius is Jupiter's fire sign, and phrases that come to mind that describe Mars energy mixed with Sagittarius energy go like this: religious fundamentalism, holy war, mission to spread truth, righteous might, soldiers of the Lord. Mars coming into Sagittarius also means Mars coming into direct opposition to Saturn, who is moving retrograde through the late degrees of Mercury's air sign of Gemini. Saturn and Mars represent very different yet equally powerful archetypes. Mars uses force where Saturn uses restraint, Mars attacks and Saturn protects, Mars consumes and Saturn conserves. The symbol of Mars in Sagittarius as the soldier of militant religious cause marches forth under the guise of faith, but is actually motivated by fear. The power of Mars to enforce an agenda looms large when coupled with the Jupiterian tendency to uphold traditional values and religious laws.