January 2021 Astrology Insights

Welcome, 2021!! ​

Although life is continuing where it left off from December, there’s something about the feeling of having a clean slate for a new year as January can offer the essence of a reset point for starting afresh. Astrologically, there is some reality to this as the longstanding planetary transits that brought about the heavy quality of 2020 have mostly shifted and continue to shift in January. 

Mars moves into Taurus
January 7 - March 4

Mars moving out of Aries and into the steady Earth sign of Taurus on the 7th is significant. This aggressive and action-oriented planet that gets you going after what you want in your life has been in the fiery sign of Aries for a longer than normal time, due to having a 2 month period of retrograde in 2020.  As Mars transited through Aries over the last 6 months, it also made difficult aspects to a triad of planets in the Autumn.  This lengthy Arian Mars period magnified conflicts & struggles and contributed to the overall quality of tension and scrappiness in a singularly challenging last year. 

When Mars shifts into Taurus, things will feel like they are calming down. There’s a level of stability that will be felt collectively. 

One caveat about Mars in January is that although it’s moving into the sign of Taurus, the Peaceful Bull, it will be making a hard aspect (square) to Saturn at the same time. This aspect will be the strongest until January 24th and can feel like the momentum forward is challenged and perhaps the stubbornness that comes with Taurus will be more palpable (personally and collectively) through most of January.  

Therefore, if you’re feeling like things are beginning to feel better than they have been but still noticing there’s a block to making progress in January, then allow this energy to provide an opportunity to examine your course. Saturn can help you get clear on what is and isn’t working. 

The best way to work with this energy is to not get caught up in the setbacks but to move towards the direction and path that is working out for you. 

It’s like the story of the fly trying to get outside but keeps slamming into the clear glass windowpane        en route. If the fly took a moment to reexamine its direction, it might notice there’s an open door just a hair over from the window it could easily fly out of. 

If in January you find yourself feeling like this fly, take a pause and shift your focus towards the openness in your life and you’ll discover this is where progress and satisfaction will occur. Otherwise, if you’re stuck on things being one way, like a stubborn bull (Mars in Taurus), or a fly that keeps repeating the same crash course flight path, you might get really frustrated. It’s quite beneficial to tune in and notice this aspect of yourself in January and ask - are you allowing new opportunities in or are you set on keeping things the way they are?

It can feel scary to move away from the familiar, but when something’s not working anymore it generally means life is ready to bring you an opportunity to move towards the people, situations, jobs, career, relationship, home, etc… that are in better alignment with yourself and where your life is headed. 

In addition, Jupiter and Saturn began to ride together in Aquarius just before Winter Solstice and continue to do so the whole of January. This energy continues to bring the same quality of “open yourself to the opportunity” theme throughout this month.

The following is taken from my December astrology post, which continues to apply in January ...

“Jupiter is about faith, optimism, opportunity, and growth. Saturn is the opposite and has more to do with feeling restricted, which ultimately gets you focusing and working harder at reaching your goals. When these two planets come together, you can experience both the feeling of expansiveness in your life as well as the constriction. You can allow this energy to have you just spinning your wheels, or you can find ways to actually put form and structure (Saturn) towards your approach to the opportunities for growth in your life (Jupiter). 

In-other-words… the restrictions aren’t there to hold you back but give you a chance to encounter yourself more deeply and examine the right course of actions.” 

Mars conjunct Uranus in Taurus
January 20 - January 25

Conjunctions are when 2 planets come together and blend their energies. When Mars and Uranus combine on January 20th, you may start to notice a need to strongly break away from situations that have you feeling stuck or aren’t allowing you to truly be you. Uranus helps you become freer, adds excitement, and opens you up to new expressions of yourself. 

If you try to hold this energy back, you might notice the peaceful bull in you turns impatient and erratic in your actions in response to life. Uranus is known for bringing about sudden changes for the sake of breaking free from the past. As Mars makes this conjunction with Uranus between the 20th - 25th, it’s a potent time to shake free of something that’s had your free will in lockdown or causing your life to feel a bit lackluster. 

With this burst of liberation occurring alongside the Square of Mars and Saturn, it would be helpful to become aware of what “pane of glass” has been in the way and where the open terrain you are aiming for is in relation to where you presently are. This period of Uranus conjunction offers a great “window of opportunity” to burst forth and go for it. 

Just be sure to look before you leap. ;)  ​

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