Astrological Forecasts

Heads Up!

The Writer’s Astrological Almanac

by Kathy Watts

January 2012

Happy New Year!  Jupiter is no longer retrograde and few things shine brighter or higher in the sky than Jupiter.  May this be a beautiful, benevolent year when we are happy to be good luck for each other.  It also promises to be a very mercurial year, in that Mercury participates fully in the dance with all the planets.  May we be prolific and widely appreciated for the good work we do.

Let’s start at the beginning.  The Moon is in Aries on Sunday, the Sun’s day, January 01.  Be willing to shine all year, even on days when enthusiasm sags.  Heads Up in all good ways.

Mon Jan 02 the Moon conjuncts Jupiter in Taurus.  Look for good luck to share with other people.

Wed Jan 04 the Moon is in Taurus all day.  Love your work and make it gorgeous.

Thu Jan 05 the Moon enters Gemini and gives us from now till Saturday night to write with the best.  Start the year strong and don’t hold back.

Sat Jan 07, with the Moon still in Gemini, Mercury sextiles Saturn,  Be a little more careful with your words, because they’re powerful.  Seven hours later Mercury then sextiles Neptune. Relax and be a bit more fanciful.  These aspects carry extra punch because Mercury is in the final degrees of Sagittarius.  Think big while you can.   Midday, the Moon opposes Mercury, then goes void of course until the Moon enters Cancer an hour or so later. What you say and write and will be noticed.  By end of day, Mercury leaves Sagittarius and enters the hardworking sign of Capricorn.  Tomorrow things will sound more constrained and serious.

Sun Jan 08 the Moon is in its home sign Cancer when Mercury trines Jupiter.  Be generous with your ideas.  Five hours later Mercury squares Uranus.  Be constructively self-critical and make some discoveries.  Late that night comes the Full Moon at 18 Cancer.  Make this a month to work on projects of meaning and substance.

Wed Man 11 the Moon is in Leo all day.  Be proud of what you do, and enjoy the process.

Thu Jan 12 the Moon is in Virgo (Mercury’s nocturnal homesign) when the Moon and Mercury trine one another.  People may be able to help you out with some plot problem, if only by real-life example.  Two hours later the Moon trines Pluto.  If your day (or your work) lacked drama or depth, here it is.  In the evening, the Sun trines Mars.  Heads Up.  Mars is in Virgo and is slowing down in preparation for going retrograde.  Don’t get confused; get systematic and observant.  Heads Up.

Fri Jan 13 — yes, Friday the 13th —  the Moon is in Virgo when Mercury conjuncts Pluto.  Drama and depth are not going to intimate you today.  A slow powerful Mars is in Virgo, on your mercurial side, so be strong.  Heads Up anyway.  Two hours later Venus conjuncts Neptune (in the final degrees of Aquarius).  This can be a pleasant break, but don’t float away on it.  In the afternoon the Moon conjuncts Mars. Work along, if not in high gear then in some stronger lower gear.  Late in the evening, Venus changes signs and moves into Pisces.  There may be a lot of hard-nosed, pragmatic energy out in the world, but there are also a lot of soft hearts in hiding.  Know your audience.

Mon Jan 16 the Moon conjuncts Saturn in the end of Libra.  Heads Up.  Be good to people, and let them be good to you.

Wed Jan 18 the Moon enters Sagittarius in the second half of the day.  If you had an introverted morning, there’s time to reach out and recover.  Be energetic.

Thu Jan 19 the Moon is in Sagittarius when the Sun squares Saturn. Heads Up in a good way.  Pause and think about if what you’re doing is actually what you think you want to be doing.  Saturn is in the final degree of Libra, right the heart of the Via Combusta.  Saturn can be harsh enough without turning manipulative. Take the solid constructive qualities of Saturn and Libra, then pour some serious golden Sun on them.  It’s the last day of the month when the Sun is in Capricorn and is a guest in Saturn’s house.  The Sun and Saturn are in tight communication right now.  See what you see.  Heads Up.

Fri Jan 20  the Moon is still in generous expansive Sagittarius when the Sun changes signs and moves into Aquarius.  Traditionally, Aquarius is ruled by Saturn, but it’s nothing like Capricorn.  Look for the world to be bigger, more inclusive, and perhaps less severe and demanding.  This is no excuse for sloppiness, of course. Heads Up.

Sat Jan 21 the Moon conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn.  Stay calm and have a peaceful weekend. That night, the Sun squares Jupiter.  If you’ve been overdoing anything, this can moderate things and bring some remedy.  It’s also the day before the New Moon.  Major Heads Up.  Think safety, routine caution, and a little extra loving care.

Sun Jan 22 the Moon conjuncts Mercury in the last third (the third decanate) of Capricorn.  Think dark serious thoughts if you must, or write them.  Hey, it worked for Stephen King.  Before end of day is the New Moon at 02 Aquarius.  Dream big dreams and tomorrow begin something noble and bigger than yourself.

Mon Jan 23 the Moon is in Aquarius when Mercury trines Mars.  Don’t get impatient with yourself.  Give yourself all the time you need to think things through and do them with full force, to completion.  This evening Mars goes stationary retrograde at 23 Virgo.  Heads Up.  A lot of good work can be done with this placement. If you don’t like Mars in Virgo, remember that Mars is now a guest  in Mercury’s house.  Besides, you have from now till the middle of April to change your mind and see the good side.  Heads Up.  It’s also the Chinese New Year, Year of the Dragon!  Luck, Health, Love, and Joy!

Wed Jan 25 the Moon conjuncts Neptune and goes void of course for about forty minutes until entering Pisces.  If you needed a dreamy Wednesday to do some dreamy writing, this may be it.  The first two Wednesdays this month were in fixed signs, but that’s slipped into these last two Wednesdays in mutable signs.  Relax a bit, get a fresh cup of tea, maybe a cookie.  Mind those crumbs on the keyboard.  It’s good to remember to be human, even at work.

Thu Jan 26 the Moon conjuncts Venus in Pisces in the morning.  At night, the Moon opposes Mars, who is retrograde and hunched down in Virgo. Venus will be in Pisces for only twelve days before moving on into Aries.  Aries, we all know, is ruled by Mars, who is camping out in Virgo.  This can be the stuff of excellent frustrated romance, if that’s your thing.

Fri Jan 27 the Moon is void of course in Pisces when Mercury squares Saturn.  Don’t be too harsh on yourself, your work, or on others.  Take the kernels of truth as constructive criticism and this too shall pass. In nine short hours Mercury will be released from Saturn’s domain of Capricorn and enter Aquarius to join the Sun in a more comfortable, less uncompromising environment.  True, modern astrology gives Aquarius to be the home of Uranus, but really, aren’t things wild enough already?  Just my opinion right now, of course.  Later in the day the Moon enters Aries and and conjuncts the rebellious Uranus.  If you need more wildness, the sky is happy to oblige.

Sat Jan 28 the Moon is in Aries all day.  Mercury sextiles Uranus in the late morning, an aspect that’s always glad to provide wild and crazy ideas, and perhaps some good entertainment.  In the evening, Mercury squares Jupiter.  You could also be very entertaining by cheerfully catching your own minor blunders and displaying some of your charming modesty.  Writers and artists wear many hats, do we not?  And it’s our sincerity that lets the world allow us to live.  Heads Up.

Mon Jan 30 the Moon conjuncts Jupiter in Taurus.  We end the month with the same lucky conjunction that started it.

Stay focused on what is working and be persistent.  Be grateful for the Mars retrograde, exercise a bit more care in the physical realm, and avoid any silly needless accidents (which, really, are almost all of them).  We do not have to run full throttle all the time, no matter the hype we hear.  Somebody wrote that hype, didn’t they?

Have a fantastic start to a grand year!  Heads Up!