Welcome to the New Year!
Next Monday marks the commencement of the first full week of the year. This upcoming Sunday the 6th is the epiphany, or the day the wise men allegedly arrived at the manger - you know the astrologers following the vision in the sky. So to celebrate, let’s get dressed to the nines... well not so much literally, but how about a shiny aura, renewed attitude, refreshed optimism?
And to do so, we have several astrological bodies in the 9's for the astrologers’ day. Mercury and Pluto are conjunct at 9 degrees of Capricorn, and during the day the Moon will join Saturn in Scorpio at 9 degrees. Mars adds his vigor from 9 degrees of Aquarius. Finally, Cyllarus chimes in from 9 degrees of Cancer.
To be clear, I am not suggesting there is something especially magical about the ninth degree. It’s just that we have a modest alignment of planets at that degree on the day of the epiphany just prior to when most folks gear up to launch official efforts in the new year.
Let’s start with Cyllarus, likely the least known object in this collection. Cyllarus is a centaur, in the same astronomical category as Chiron. He brings a Pisces/Taurus flavor to the table because of the placement of his closest contact to the Sun and his heliocentric node. As a result, he is a true sensitive and sensualist. He declares the need to respond to your five senses and any extra sensory skills you may have (thus the sense-ual aspect) and apply them in every situation and with every person you encounter with compassion, sensitivity and respect. From his current position in Cancer, he emphasizes this is important in the effort of clan-building. Whether with friends, family or professional acquaintances, he asks that you reach out and bond. These folks need to support your efforts and you theirs. After all, weren’t the auld acquaintances recently invoked at the year’s commencement?
Cyllarus opposes Mercury and Pluto in Capricorn. Any Mercury to Pluto aspect demands the need to tell the truth... the bottom line truth based upon one’s soulful, core consciousness and deepest motivations. With the conjunction the need for precision in all communication becomes paramount. Dare to reveal the hows and whys of your aspirations. Dare to declare how you feel about others. Invoke a spirit-enriched version of self declaration and make the effort to see the spark that kindles in the spirit of all others you encounter, whether willfully created encounters or those equally significant happenstance meetings where you realize in your innards the importance of those crossing your path. Instead of doubting motives in such meetings, declare your hand and your intentions and ask for honest reciprocation. With such spiritual substrate in place you can more readily define what common paths can be traveled. Of equal import, should others not match up with the big dharma dictum the sign of Capricorn is demanding that you manifest, bid adieu, let go and move on.
The Moon and Saturn together in Scorpio is always an interesting pattern to sort. The planet (Saturn) most attributed with “No!” and the body (Moon) declaring one’s greatest inner needs with extreme emotional adamance argue about how much of a good thing can be endured without spoiling the soul. Saturn allegedly fears “too much of a good thing” while the Moon aches for more to fill inner yearning. The point of awareness and compromise occurs when both agree that quality and quantity of life’s emotional essentials cannot be denied. Accept no substandard interactions, less than gratifying involvements, and cull out things in your life that just occur space without purpose. This is not an effective place for idle placeholders. With such realizations in place, one can move forward confident in the fact that needs will manifest, and in a timely manner that pleases Saturn’s inner metronome.
Further, Saturn and the Moon square Mars. Getting going, or keeping the flow flowing might feel as if pushing a rope. Consider the possibility that each “obstacle” or point of interference might actually be a sharpening tool... a tool that sharpens focus, intention and soul aspiration. This is Mars in Aquarius we’re talking. Sure the efforts need to benefit humankind, but do they benefit you? Is the path you now take fulfilling personal objectives as well as making your life a worthwhile, aspiring contribution to the world?
Maybe on the day the Magi made it to the manger, sit with how you can apply these planets, whether they aspect your chart directly or not. In such contemplation, who knows, perhaps an epiphany will appear worthy of the placement of the stars in the sky above.