By Victoria Emory
Fresh out of starting gate from Thursday’s New Moon in forward-looking Aquarius, this weekend’s astrology digs in, gets busy, and kicks off what is literally the new year for much of the world, and might feel like the new year regardless of what calendar you’re looking at.
A key component in that fresh start involves a return. Retrograde Mercury nestles between conjunctions to Venus on Saturday (2:48 am Eastern Time) and Jupiter on Sunday (4:40 pm). In itself, this is decidedly up-beat, social, expansive and optimistic energy to work with, well-designed for reconnecting with supportive members of your tribe – folks you’ve traveled with and want by your side down the road.
We know ‘our own’ instinctively; they feel right, they ‘get it,’ get us – and importantly, appreciate us — and we get them. There’s a sense of re-grouping after a storm, here, a pow-wow designed to bolster spirits and faith that whatever must be done can be; that we are not facing the unknown world ahead alone. Even more solitary birds will do well to connect with others now, if just getting out and about in the marketplace or neighborhood; friendly exchanges with strangers are uplifting, too.
At the same time, Saturday’s Pisces Moon conjoins Neptune, while Mars meets Neptune in an aspect of stimulating, creative potential. This lends emotional depth and sensitivity to the emphasis on ideas and abstracts which Aquarius can get carried away with. Principle must align with spirit, and spirit with the heart.
“First you dream it, then you live it” is more than a poetic metaphor. Whence Creation? In which dimension are the events lived out in waking reality planted? The imaginal realm looms large on Saturday, and imagination is power. With support, even a little, the faith necessary to sow fertile seeds for your future intentions becomes easier. Conscious creation is the optimal use of these energies. Revisiting creative projects is another. (“The way to resume is to resume,” said Aquarian Gertrude Stein. “If we knew everything ahead of time it would be dictation, not creation.”)
These are the melodies, the upper register notes playing now.
Underneath it all is the push-comes-to-shove dilemma posed by Saturn in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus, the signature aspect of 2021 (scroll down for an introduction in last weekend’s notes). That is the jittery thrum playing in the background, and it’s getting louder. The first exact pass occurs on Wednesday, Feb. 17th, and it clicks in by degree on Monday. (The next bulls-eye alignment is in June, and the third and final isn’t until December – but these two outer planets are closely squared all year.)
This is fundamental tension between opposing forces and competing agendas: The Past vs The Future; Change vs Stability and Freedom vs Duty. Personal Security versus Systemic Authority. The Big How. How to move forward, yet there’s no turning back. That’s the base-line and refrain that’s so constant we may not realize it’s playing.
The big questions to consider right now are “What do I really, really want; what core values must I adhere to if I am to be true to my soul?” And “Am I being honest with myself?” Especially with so much Neptune in the picture, know what is driving your reactions. Chances are you’re a human being and human beings have past issues that have yet to be fully resolved. Whatever resentments or fears and anxieties may arise now probably have at least one or two threads of various weights tied to personal history of one kind or another.
It’s a lot easier to fight for an abstract cause, or join up with a rebel band of whatever stripe than it is to deal with one’s own emotional baggage. And unpacking even a little of that frees up power that could be put to use creating a future, rather than resisting fears or anger rooted in the past.
Bottom line, nothing is as intimidating or overwhelming or frightening when you’re connected to at least one, or if you’re lucky, even two people you trust. Changing patterns is the challenge now, and if feeling disconnected or alone has taken hold, muster whatever it takes to break that chain. Everyone plays a unique and essential role in this co-created production. And whether you think so or not, others need you as much as you need them.