In these last weeks of January 2022, we have a Full Moon in Cancer, Mercury in Retrograde, Mars entering Capricorn and Venus continuing its 5 week trek in Retrograde, but finally going Direct at the end of the month. Read on and see how these planetary influences may help you navigate these coming weeks. Mercury Retrograde January 14 - February 3 The dynamics of Mercury retrograde periods are gaining more and more awareness in our collective cultural conversations. The most common theme is a “warning” against doing certain activities during this 3 week period. I find what is most alive regarding Mercury retrograde is holding an awareness that anything you make a firm decision on during this period, may have to be re-worked again when Mercury goes direct (starting February 4th). Therefore, a clearer thinking process around decision-making becomes more available when Mercury is out of retrograde. When a planet goes retrograde, it is appearing to be moving backward in the sky from the Earth’s vantage point. To understand this easily, imagine you’re walking on a path and you stop and start going backward, covering the same ground you just walked over. This is essentially what a retrograde planet is doing in the sky. The Mercury retrograde period offers an opportunity to review and reprocess the life experiences of the recent period of time when Mercury was traveling this same section of the sky with forwarding motion prior to retrograde (Dec 30th - Jan 13th). Think back on these recent dates - what was going on in your life, what were you working on, who were you in communication with, what plans were you and are still making? During Mercury retrograde, people often find more challenges and issues with communications, electronics, travel, car repairs, etc… and you may be finding it takes longer to get from point A to point B, or there’s more back and forth communication before things become clear. Often, I see Mercury retrograde as an offering to surrender, trusting things will work out in the end, and taking the unexpected “scenic route”. What seemed like a detour can bring you to something delightful you wouldn’t have been able to experience otherwise. Let go and allow an alternate way of “getting there” to manifest. I find Mercury retrograde periods are a good time to finish up old projects that are lingering out there, taking up psychic space, not allowing you to cleanly move forward in life. Spend time with these activities and you will find ease towards completing them. Clean out closets, garages, workspaces, donate items, etc… In other words, clear out the physical clutter, which will help clear out mental clutter and allow you an opportunity to start anew when Mercury goes direct on February 4th. Full Moon in Cancer January 17 3:48 PM, PST The Moon will reach the height of its biggest and brightest phase (Waxing Phase) in the lunar cycle on January 17th in the sign of Cancer. The Moon governs your domestic life, your emotions, subconscious habits, and patterns, and focuses on how you nurture and need to be nurtured. When the Moon is Full, these expressions become magnified. Cancer is the natural ruler of the Moon and therefore carries similar energies of the Moon. When the Full Moon is in the zodiac sign of Cancer (once a year), there is a stronger emphasis on your emotional body and how you are feeling about certain situations in your life. Your home life is also emphasized. Therefore, under the Full Moon on the 17th, pay attention to what emotions are emerging inside of you. What needs to be acknowledged? What needs to be nurtured? What needs to be let go of? Your emotions can serve as a guide for you, letting you know what is and isn't working out and what needs to shift in your life and in your home. This Full Moon in Cancer can help bring greater awareness to your emotional body and to what adjustments you need to make in your life to be in better alignment with yourself. Create intentional space for yourself on the 17th to connect with your inner emotional world and see what areas of your life need your attention. There is a special power each year at this time, following the heart of Midwinter, to tend to your emotional body under the light and influence of the Cancer Full Moon. Mars in Capricorn January 25 - March 6 Mars is the planet of "how you take action in your life". When you have an idea or a feeling of what you want to be doing, how do you proceed with making it happen? The sign Mars is in will give you more information on how you move forward. When Mars enters Capricorn on January 25th, there will be an offering for more groundedness and practicality in your day-to-day actions. Capricorn is more about business, in all senses of the word. This has me thinking of the common phrase, "Let’s get down to business", which is used when you finally motivate yourself to get into the work that needs to be done. Therefore, if it seems this level of "getting down to business" has been hard to access lately, this Mars in the Capricorn time period (Jan 25 - Mar 6) just might offer you the right energy to get yourself accomplishing what needs to be done ~ especially in the realms of Career. Whatever you have been wanting to take action on, this period offers a wind in your sails to move forward. Venus goes Direct January 29 These last 2 weeks, Venus will be in its final days of retrograde, which began on December 19th. Venus directs your energy toward the aspects of your life that relate to creating goodness & beauty in your life: finances, business, relationships, social gatherings, and coming together in loving-kindness around the table or in the bedroom. During the retrograde time, these aspects may have been less available, more unclear, or turned inwards in some fashion. As Venus begins to move in Direct motion again on the 29th, these areas of life should start to become more accessible, active, clear, and manageable. I wrote a bigger section on Venus Retrograde in my last blog post. To read and learn more about how to work with Venus in Retrograde in these final weeks of January, click below. As you move forward into 2022, what will you continue and cultivate more beautifully? What will you do differently and better? What will you take leave of? The planetary signatures harken you to take some special look inside and discover your deeper feelings, knowings, and truths. Trust what you find! Book an astrology reading and find out what the year ahead looks like for you! With astrology, the most helpful advice is always individual and personalized based upon your personal astrology birth chart and life situations. Contact me to learn more about scheduling an astrology reading to help you navigate your life in these uncertain times. You have the option of a 30 minute mini-reading or a full 1-hour, in depth reading
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Happy New Year! Welcome, 2022! Welcome to the new year! As we begin a new cycle of the yearly calendar round, it’s helpful to maintain an overarching sense that we’re on a flowing continuum of life. The river keeps on. I love that we can have times in the year (such as January 1) that allow for a collective mental reset point. And, just like with humans and nature, in astrology, the planets keep on moving along the same paths they were on the year before. Therefore, create new goals and make the changes you need… and as you do this, it is most important to also be in the flow with where your energy and life take you as the new year begins. This month we have Venus continuing to retrograde, as well as Mercury going retrograde mid-month. Mars and Neptune will be in a hard aspect with each other, and possibly downshifting your energy levels into a slower gear during the first 2 weeks of January. We also get to start off the month with both the Sun and Moon in Capricorn, giving to a New Moon in Capricorn on January 2nd! New Moons are also great monthly reset points - how lovely to have it on January 2nd and in close alignment with the energy of the early days of the beginning of the year. Venus retrograde in Capricorn December 19, 2021 - January 28th, 2022 This month, Venus continues its retrograde pattern, which began on December 19th, extending a caution towards overspending and feeling resolved around any relationship situations through January 28th. When planets are retrograde, the aspects of life they relate to can become less available to you. As the energy of the planet is directed more inward and less flowing outwards in its normal expressive fashion, it guides you towards having more of an internal reflective process time. Venus relates to our love relationships, social gatherings, finances, business, and creating beauty in our lives. In retrograde, these aspects can become unclear, leading to; spending more than you intended, parties and social gatherings not going as planned, challenges in dating, and or difficulties with addressing relationship situations. The major holidays are behind us now and looking back, this is a good example of what can happen during Venus Retrograde as many had disrupted planned holiday get-togethers with loved ones. Flights were canceled as well as people choosing to cancel their holiday plans altogether. The best way to handle planetary retrogrades is to go with the flow of whatever the time turns out to be. There can be a blessing in seeing what else can come out of an unplanned situation. Energies do have a way of working themselves out and I recommend not pushing too hard to make something happen when there are apparent barriers in regards to the aspects the planet in retrograde is related to. Keep in mind, Venus will be in retrograde for most of January. Tips for working with Venus in retrograde:
Planetary retrogrades give us an opportunity to slow down and re-work the situations so they can eventually move us forward in the right direction. Pushing up against the resistance is what creates difficulty during a planetary retrograde time. This also applies to the up-and-coming Mercury retrograde occurring this month as well (beginning January 14th), and I will mention more on this in the next newsletter. Mars in Sagittarius Squares Neptune in Pisces January 5th - 16th Strongest 10th - 13th Mars is your “take action” planet. It also rules your physical energy and ability to go after the things you want. It’s the planet that helps you make “it” happen. Wherever Mars is located in your birth chart, it will give you information on where your energy drives are and what part of your life tends to have more action going on than other parts. Neptune is more nebulous and intangible as It concerns you with matters of your Soul and your connection to the universe at large. It dissolves the earthly boundaries you create so you can merge with the “One” and create soul-connecting life experiences here on Earth. When Neptune is involved with planetary transits, you may start to feel less connected to the physical realities created in your life. We all learn that our Souls encompass layers of meaning that transcend the outer trappings of the lives we live. This can create confusion if you're too attached to the bounds of earthly living (money, housing, job, career, stuff you buy, and essentially the daily grind). Neptune can also give you more psychic awareness and sensing beyond the physical senses, nudging you to follow your “gut instincts” more than the mental, “I shoulds”. Both these planets are creating a square aspect with each other this month, which means that their impulses are challenging each other. More specifically in this scenario, the energy of Neptune is having a stronger impulse and stifling the energy impulses of Mars. There is a principle in astrology that when two planets are in aspect, the slower moving planet that is further from the sun (here Neptune) will be stronger and dominate the faster-moving planet that is closer to the Sun (here Mars). Translated - you may find that during this square time, your energy needs may shift to having lesser physical stamina to carry on with your regular life duties. Neptune has a way of helping you remember your soul wants to experience life and pure consciousness, beyond the humdrum of daily living and connect with your soul’s place in the universe. Therefore, you may not have the energy to do all the “to do’s”. As the old saying goes, you may find, during this time, “Your get up and go, just got up and went”. This can also come across as a confusing time period on how to focus your energy. I recommend, "Go with the flow"! This planetary transit is short-lived and is the strongest from January 10th - 13th. However, during this time, it may be hard to start that new workout routine or take full action on the plans you're making. You might wake up and just want to lay back down. If your energy is feeling lower or you're affected by the viral spread during this Mars/Neptune square time period, then I recommend tuning into what your soul wants you to be doing. Have you gotten caught up in the daily grind so much that you’ve lost some connection with what makes your heart and soul sing? Your physical body may not have the energy to keep going in the same way if you’ve left the bigger picture of what makes your life meaningful behind. I recommend not planning a whole lot (beyond going to your job…or attending whatever your care taking, parenting, or other essential obligations might be) between January 10th-13th, if you can swing it, and allow for your life to be more in a soulful rhythm and flow. See what happens - if anything, you may get some much-needed rest. This time period is followed by Mercury going retrograde (January 14th), so it just may be right in alignment with slowing down anyways. As time is reckoned, our calendar has brought you into 2022. What will you continue and cultivate more beautifully? What will you do differently and better? What will you take leave of? The planetary signatures harken you to take some special look inside and discover your deeper feelings, knowings, and truths. Trust what you find! Book an astrology reading and find out what the year ahead looks like for you! With astrology, the most helpful advice is always individual and personalized based upon your personal astrology birth chart and life situations. Contact me to learn more about scheduling an astrology reading to help you navigate your life in these uncertain times. You have the option of a 30 minute mini-reading or a full 1-hour, in depth reading |
AuthorLaura Allmacher RN, LAc, has been practicing in the field of medicine for over 20 years, dedicating most of this time to the healing arts and natural medicine. Along with a current acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice, Laura also provides professional astrology readings as a form of a guide to help bring timing, meaning and perspective to deeper life patterns and situations so one can make the most out of their incarnation. Archives
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