Venus is MIA - not only retrograde but also abducted by Pluto - and the world has gone a little flat...
2022 Begins by Asking us to Turn Inward for Answers...
With Venus retrograde from December 19th until January 29th the world may look a little lacklustre, desire dead, relationships somewhat strained, all the usual pleasures mysteriously lacking in satisfaction. Add to that Pluto in Capricorn casting a dark shadow all month long and there’s a certainly enough doom and gloom to go around. But it’s not all just a cruel whim.
This confrontation with emptiness laser-focuses the mind on what’s truly worthwhile. And so 2022 begins as it means to go on, asking us: what's most important to you?
Because this January, the Great Dragon chooses Taurus and Scorpio as its host for the next year and a half and we need to figure out what's truly worthwhile in this world and preserve it as if our lives depended on it. Is it nature? Our bodies? Important social values? And what about our financial system? How nice that the year begins with Venus hogging our attention then, to get this process of reevaluation started nice and early…
As Churchill is famed to have said ‘if you’re going through hell, keep going’. And with such a congestion in Capricorn all month long, we all need to toughen up a bit if we are to get through to spring. Jupiter is freshly in Pisces, and there’s protection to be had - but only if you turn away from the mundane and toward what sustains your spirit.
January doesn't lack excitement. Uranus stations direct on the 18th offering a welcome distraction alongside an emotionally intense Full Moon in Cancer just when the Lunar Nodes enter Taurus and Scorpio, the 17th-18th is sure to reach deep into your soul.
Add to that Mercury going retrograde on the 14th in Aquarius and overlapping with Venus and January is a cosmic gift. The last two weeks of January offer the perfect window for a magical retreat from normal day to day affairs so you can reboot the system. Just in time for a brand new year.
Just as winter seems cold and dead on the surface, so may January seem in our experience, without much going on. But beneath the frost, countless seeds are germinating for spring.
Seeds of fresh meaning and joy, love and abundance germinating within you. Patience. As January gives way to February, and certainly by March, you’ll see your world return to colour.
New Moon in Capricorn: A quiet reboot…
The month begins with a New Moon in Capricorn on January 2nd at 18:33, at Capricorn 12:20 degrees. There’s a restless quality to this New Moon, as it’s trine to Uranus, bringing the promise of release that’s not yet realised, of forces yet to be unleashed. You may feel a little rebellious, unwilling, cut loose...
Use this energy over the next two weeks to six months to do detach and disentangle yourself from old and outworn agreements, relationships, values, investments, affections and desires.
This Capricorn Full Moon is happening during Venus retrograde in Capricorn - and Venus is conjunct Pluto, lord of the underworld. So, don’t be afraid to look at what may be dead and done in your life - or admit where something needs to be resurrected. With Saturn sextile Mars, this can be a productive period, if you’re prepared to address the past, and establish the needed discipline to achieve your ends.
This is a mystical New Moon, asking us all to see beyond the veil of niceties and relationships of convenience and into deeper truths - its Sabian Symbol: “a fire worshipper meditates on the ultimate realities of existence”. The energy that’s been building all month long will be first released at the Full Moon (and Uranus direct) of the 17th-18th, then culminate in July with a Full Moon in Capricorn.
Venus Retrograde 2021-2022 in Capricorn: No Use Pretending...
With Venus retrograde all month, we’ve all somewhat lost our mojo and need to take a deep dive into the abyss to recover it. It’s time to go down the mines, to go inward and examine all sorts of things - some dead, some alive but buried, a couple of them gems to be dusted off and resurrected come February and March.
It’s only when faced with nothingness, darkness, that you uncover what is of most value to you. And that’s your main task this month.
Venus turned retrograde on December 19th just before Christmas, creating a weird and slightly alienating atmosphere throughout the holiday season. While Venus stays retrograde till January 29th it won’t be till March that she’s fully out of the woods. Use this time wisely, to do a deep dive into what’s most important in your life and renew your commitment to it. Mark January 9th as a key turning point, when Venus conjoins the Sun, and you're done mourning the past, ready to take your first brave steps into the future.
Read all about the particular kind of magic that Venus Retrograde creates and how to make the most of it!
Mercury Retrograde 2022 in Aquarius-Capricorn: Rethink Your Contribution
Joining Venus is Mercury retrograde mid-month. Mercury’s already on uncertain ground since December 29th, where he just conjoined Pluto sounding a sombre note unto the universe. On the 14th Mercury stations retrograde at 10:20 degrees Aquarius at 11:41 and his retrograde greatly overlaps with that of Venus, turning direct again on February 4th at 04:12 at 24:22 Capricorn (a week after Venus turns). You might as well pull down the shutters (to anything that doesn't speak to you directly) and put up a sign saying "closed for maintenance" till early February.
January 14th-29th takes you deep undercover, it’s two weeks of a deep dive into the magic of your own mind, your thoughts, feelings and preferences…
This Mercury retrograde is sandwiched between Saturn and Pluto, allowing us to examine everything that’s transpired since the Saturn-Pluto conjunction of 2020. That's the portal that's brought in the present restrictive, top down authoritarian influences that have recently taken hold of our world. Mercury first crosses Pluto on December 30th, then again January 29th whilst retrograde, and finally breaks free of Pluto February 11th (but not yet of Saturn). Mercury finally overtakes Saturn on March 2nd.
Mental exuberance may be hard to come by during this period - from December 30th to March 2nd - which is given to some deep, long-term and serious thinking.
Mercury retrograde straddles two signs and elements this time, Aquarius (air) and Capricorn (earth). And so your present ruminations are not merely of academic value. They will have a very real and practical upshot.
What starts as a review of principles and ideals quickly evolves into a review of the kinds of practices, structures and disciplines that give shape to your life.
Aquarius and Capricorn are worldly signs. And so it’s time to revisit your place in the world, the image you want to project and the contribution you want to make. Mark January 23rd, Mercury's inferior conjunction, as an important turning point, the seed of new ideas on that score.
Mercury doesn’t fully exit his shadow till February 24th. And while February will be much more outgoing than January, it won't be till early March, when Mercury gets to pass Saturn's 'reality test' that you can finally release your mind from the thoughts that have it so in their grip right now.
Check out how this Mercury retrograde in Aquarius-Capricorn affects us all this month and till the end of February...
Full Moon in Cancer: Through the Tightest Birth Canal...
Pluto is a major star this month and now is his big moment: the Sun conjuncts Pluto on the 16th and soon after, on the 17th at 23:48 the moon reaches across with a Full Moon in Cancer at 27:50 degrees opposite the Sun and Pluto.
This is an ambitious, intense, transformative Full Moon.
A Cancer lunation, the home sign of the moon, can be emotionally overwhelming at the best of times. Juxtaposed with Pluto, you may feel pulled down a tunnel, giving you a sort of tunnel vision that activates all your defences and your determination to survive.
Much like passing through the birth canal, this Full Moon grants you a single minded focus: to get through to the other side and out in one piece!
This is a stark moment of realisation - a glimpse into worldly power structures, and a revelation of your own red lines. How far you will go to survive? To achieve something, to prevail? And where do you live on the scale between power and powerlessness?
Where you find Pluto in your chart is where you have a terrorist running riot, terrorising an area of your life for years and giving you tunnel vision.
It's all black and white, life and death. No nuance. This shadow terrorist (currently residing in Capricorn, i.e. our worldly power structures, governments and corporations) prefers to stay hidden, keeping us on our toes with a vague sense of threat and foreboding that is ever present. But on January 17th, the Sun and Moon have got Pluto pinned down under a spotlight.
This Cancer Full Moon is all about exposure - a silvery light illuminating the path to your own empowerment.
The Cancer Full Moon Sabian Symbol is “an Indian girl introduces her white lover to her assembled tribe” - a suitably multi-racial image (Pluto symbolises sexuality and race) for a Full Moon opposite Pluto. There is the promise of transformation in that image through acceptance; through the integration of all aspects of our nature and humanity.
Get ready to delve into taboo topics, purge poisons from your world and experience a mini transformation of your own.
Uranus direct in Taurus: Unleash your Inner Rebel!
Feeling restless? With Uranus turning direct on the 18th, the intensity of the Full Moon is doubled! Uranus finally unleashes all sorts of pent up desires for freedom, for truth and autonomy. All that restlessness has been seething underground since Uranus turned retrograde on August 20th 2021, eating away at you... Making you nervous... And it’s finally time to do something about it! Something 'breaks free; at this Full Moon (an ongoing theme for 2022), a burden lifts and you are ready to move forward with rapid changes and innovations in your life. Expect successive releases of energy mid-month!
Lunar Nodes enter Taurus-Scorpio: A Whole World in Healing Crisis...
January's Full Moon gives the go ahead for the Great Dragon to leave Gemini and Sagittarius - where it’s been swallowing facts and dialogue (head in Gemini) and spewing dogma and propaganda (tail in Sagittarius) - and enter Taurus and Scorpio till July 2023. With the Lunar Nodes in Scorpio and Taurus, it's time for our karmic journey to change to a more wholesome diet…
The food our Great Dragon seeks now is wholesomeness.
What's most valuable on this earth? In our physicality? In our societies and systems?
It's time to spew out all sorts of poisons that have been fouling our natural world and our financial and political systems. We’re entering a year and a half where our very survival is at stake - physically and financially - and where corruption will be so ubiquitous that it will be impossible to ignore. The only antidote is a return to simplicity, nature and timeless values.
Is it a coincidence that the January Cancer Full Moon highlights Pluto in his last legs in Capricorn just as the South Node enters Scorpio, Pluto’s sign? Or is it time for us all, individually and globally, to undertake a massive purge?
The eclipses are firmly in Taurus and Scorpio from here on in and there is a major shift in consciousness from an excessive focus on stories, beliefs and mental attitudes to dealing with very real problems involving our physical bodies, our financial systems, our natural resources and what we hold most dear. All that, all the way to July 2023. Stay tuned for more on the Lunar Nodes.
Aquarius Season: February is just around the corner
The Sun enters Aquarius on January 20th, where he meets Mercury retrograde on the 23rd. Happy Birthday Aquarius! This is a welcome shift in perspective, energising an area of your life that requires some careful recalibrating as we head toward March.
Next, Mars enters Capricorn on the 24th and Mercury retrograde does so on the 26th. With all three personal planets in Capricorn (Mars, Mercury and Venus), the end of January is an ambitious time when you can achieve a lot.
Mars is still in Sagittarius, however, till January 24th, allowing you extend the holiday spirit a little and feel the freeze in your hair… Make the most of this quiet period and do some diligent thinking as January draws to a close. Things will be rapidly gaining speed as we head to March.
January 2022 Horoscope
Here is a quick lowdown on what all this means for every slice of the zodiacal sky pie... Check out Venus retrograde and Mercury retrograde for some extra info.
Aries
It’s time to revamp your career and public image, dear Aries. A big re-evaluation is taking place, reviewing old goals and you may even feel a little bereft of ambition, all your old goals feeling a little empty as the year begins. This is a period of recalibration to show you what is truly worth aiming for. This will also involve reviewing your friendships, alliances and the contribution you want to make. Look to your home, family and personal life to bring you a strong moment of clarity around the 17th, sharpening your focus on what’s truly worth pursuing. Have you let your roles and responsibilities - be it parenthood or career goals - terrorise you and run riot in your life? Do you worry too much about what people think? You’re now called to experiment with your talents and break new financial ground. Despite these worldly pressures, you’re still in a mood for adventure throughout most of January. Make the most of this last bit of holiday spirit for you’ll be ready to pull out all the stops in your career from the 24th onwards.
Taurus
Your ruler is retrograde and you’re feeling out of sorts. Is the world suddenly bereft of meaning? It’s time to re-evaluate the flag you sail under. What do you stand for? What do you believe in? Doing “the right thing” may be difficult this month. You’re finding it hard to shake off the holiday spirit and return to your day to day activities. That’s because you need to figure out the bigger picture before you can move forward, you need to find your “why”. Get ready for a thorough review of your overall life direction and the kind of things and ideas you want to endorse. Finances may also be largely on your mind with Mars urging you to tackle debts and taxes. A lot of your energy is tied up there so use this to make financial headway till January 24th. There’s a dramatic flurry of communications around the 17th-18th that’s sure to wake you from your reverie and release pent up energy. The eclipses are in your sign and you’re getting ready for major changes up ahead. You’ve been terrorising yourself with ideas of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ for many years now, trying to fortify your intellectual fortress against judgmental attack. But it’s time to see just how much of your power you’ve given away in the process. The Full Moon could bring some transformative, liberating news. Time for change. By the end of the month you’re ready to pin your colours to the mast and lay down ‘the law’ - i.e. your views on everything that matters to you.
Gemini
It’s time to look at some deep and sensitive subjects, dear Gemini. Your ruler goes retrograde mid-month and what begins as a quest for meaning, quickly digs into very real things, like your joint finances, your intimate relationships and how your very life force is now deeply entangled with that of others. January is a very private month. Others hold all the cards now and you’ll have to defer to them, taking your cue or doing your best to help. That’s simply where your energy is. Finances are largely on your mind, as are questions of trust. You’re trying to figure out how to redress any power imbalances in your life. Financial insecurities have been eating away at your self confidence for years, perhaps even making you feel violated or betrayed. January shines a light on what you’ve got that you can rely on, your own talents, strengths and resources. What can you do to feel more financially secure? A financial turning point arrives around January 17th. It’s time to think outside the box and give your lifestyle a total overhaul. The month ends on deep conversations and revelations that can help build greater trust and deepen your commitment, both financially, and in your romantic relationship.
Cancer
January brings an important new begining for your personal relationships and business partnerships. If something has ran its course it’s time to put it behind you and get through the grieving process. You may also be reminiscing about an old relationship and considering whether it’s worth going back. It’s time to evaluate both professional and personal partnerships, past and present, for merit. Let that go on in the back of your mind. Your workload may be heavy till January 24th and you may have to stick to a rigorous routine that doesn’t leave any free time. You’ll be motivated to tackle relationship negotiations toward month’s end, when some important conversations could take place. You’re reviewing your financial agreements too and that will lead you to review where you stand with important relationships. Take a moment to get it all sorted out right at the start of this year so you know where you stand. That allows you to move forward dynamically in February and March. With a Full Moon in your sign, something important comes to culmination for you this month. Chances are you’ve felt pitted against the world for years now, every relationship requiring you to go above and beyond to meet the extreme demands of the encounter. This has shaped you and you’ll soon see how much you’ve been transformed by this ongoing “mission impossible”. You’re ready to dream new dreams and you’ll soon find yourself surrounded by allies to offer their support.
Leo
With Mars in your romantic sector till the 24th, this is the best time to kick back a little and pour your energies into love, romance and activities you enjoy. Work may have lost its lustre right now and recent events have left you wondering what’s truly worth your time and energy. How do you want to live? It’s time for a fresh look at your working life, your health habits and your overall lifestyle. What do you like doing? What values lead to the choices you make day in day out? Mid-month, you’re ready to review an important relationship too and these ruminations will lead back to questions about your daily routine and lifestyle choices. The Full Moon of the 17th urges you to embrace your shadow and all the things you disown in trying to keep your universe oh so neat and tidy. Secrets are revealed. Has your obsession with day-to-day affairs - be it your daily work, or matters of health - terrorised the rest of your life for the past many years? The truth will out. It’s time to review the direction your life is taking! You’ll be ready to pour all your energy into making positive work and lifestyle changes from the 24th onward.
Virgo
You’re fast running out of steam as January begins, sensing that it’s time to pull back and review various aspects of your life. What makes you happy? What used to fill you with joy now seems to leave you flat and that’s because you need to dig deeper and get to know your heart. It’s time to make a fresh start in matters of the heart - be it with a child, a romance, a creative project or labour of love. Changes are needed in your overall lifestyle - the way you work and take care of yourself. A review of your daily practices will help you better understand what you heart yearns for and how to go about it. Has your search for creative fulfilment, love and happiness totally consumed you? Who are your friends? What are your hopes and dreams fore the future? Or are you so obsessed with finding happiness that you won’t let any of your friends help you? Let others rally around you this month. It’s time to let alternate perspectives of your situation shock you into new realisations. Your home is a hotbed of activity till the 24th. If you need to tidy or renovate, Mars gives you the energy to do so. As we head to the end of January, that trend begins to fade and you’re ready to pour all your energies into the hobbies, romance and the pursuit of happiness.
Libra
You’re very busy right now, it seems, with phone calls, contracts, emails and meetings. But your ruler is retrograde and you seem to lack your usual effervescence, prefering to take a bow and retreat from too much social interaction at this time. This month is all about your private life, your home and family, dear Libra. It’s time to set down a proper foundation for moving forward. What you thought was enough to fulfill you is probably falling short at the moment urging you to dive deep to discover exactly what it is that you want in your persona life. Where do you want to live? How do you feel about yoru family? It’s time to take you happiness seriously and closely review what you want out of love and what would fulfil you more generally. Recognising that will help you better understand your family situation too. January brings a big turning point in your career, a moment of success perhaps, that serves to bring your personal situation too into sharper relief. In some sense, you’ve let your home and family situation terrorise you for far too long and it’s time to take your power back, liberating yourself sexually and financially too. As January draws to a close, the commotion all around you will start to subside and you’ll be ready to focus on turning things in your personal life around more quickly.
Scorpio
You’re very busy, dear Scorpio, and it seems you have tons of paperwork and other errands to get through. Money is also largely on your mind, especially expenses, and you’re working hard to bring in the dough right now. It’s a good time to make financial progress and to take back control of your every day environment, getting on top of contracts, communications, your car, school work or a business deal that needs your attention. Matters long overdue may also arrive on your desk for resolution now. You may feel a lack of interest and curiosity, just going through the motions, your mind not excited by much. All the better to hit rewind, and focus on sorting out unfinished business. A review of property-related projects may be due. Whether you are focused on your home, or your inner temple, it’s time for some introspection so you can dig out important information to help you move forward. You’ve official business at this Full Moon on the 17th - perhaps an exam, publication, or a meeting with a specialist - that urges you to examine the way you think. It could be the culmination of a publishing project, a turning point in your education or a legal verdict that brings a moment of release. You’ve a one track mind at the best of times but your ideas have been so obsessive of late, you’ve barely had the space to think of anything else. You can rely on others to surprise you.
Sagittarius
It’s time to carry out a thorough evaluation of your financial situation and make a fresh start, dear Sagittarius. What are your talents truly worth? What do you cherish most? Where is it worth your while to invest your time and energy? Come mid-month, you’re ready to revisit old ideas that you may have put in the back burner and evaluate them for merit. With Mars in your sign till the 24th - a once in a two year occurrence - there is nothing you cannot do. You can move mountains! Use this period to push forward with your goals - perhaps even to revive something you used to have. You can reconnect with people to help you better understand what’s worth what and whether you want to re-invest your money and energy. Money matters have been all consuming for many years now and it’s time to take your power back. This may involve ditching your old routines and changing your lifestyle and the way you work. January’s Full Moon on the 17th shines a light on how your own financial situation is entangled with that of others. A debt, loan, grant or joint investment comes ful circle, highlighting your financial fears, opening a path to greater self-worth and self-confidence. By the last week of January, you’ll be ready to pull out all the stops to get your financial situation where you want it.
Capricorn
You are in charge this month, dear Capricorn, with a New Moon in your sign and whole host of planets putting you firmly in the centre of attention. Use January to make a strong start with all the things that are important in your life for the year ahead. This trend will last throughout February too so use it to build you strength. This is an excellent time to tackle old matters, disentangle old relationships and review your entire financial approach. Try not to make any large investments or changes in style till after Venus goes direct, in February. Others are instrumental in your transformation and empowerment now - especially at the Full Moon around the 17th. You’ve been entirely self obsessed for years now so let others shine a light on all the ways in which you shut them out. You reach an important relationship turning point around the 17th. Let yourself have some fun this year! You’ll be largely pulling strings behind the scenes this month but from the 24th onwards, you’re ready to push forward openly with all kinds of new ideas.
Aquarius
It’s time to slip under the radar and give yourself some TLC, dear Aquarius. With a whole host of planets in the most hidden part of your chart, it’s time to lay low and recharge your batteries. You’re clearing the system of any debris and preparing for a whole new birthday season to start. You may have strange dreams as your subconscious processes past decisions, investments and relationships, as well as sexual and other repressed feelings. It’s time to let go of anything that weighs you down, only taking forward what’s worth keeping. There’s a lot going on around you - a busy social scene perhaps - though you may feel one step removed. Work is also very busy and you’ll have a big work project culminating around the 17th, a liberating moment. This may bring your inner world into sharper relief, and the ways in which you’re ready to move on from a big chapter in your life, one that’s kept you very busy behind the scenes for years. Take this time to recalibrate your sense of who you are and put the past to bed. Focus on revitalising yourself during your birthday season and, by March, you’ll be ready to put all your plans into action.
Pisces
It’s time to take a good hard look at your dreams and ambitions, and at who exactly is prepared to support you in achieving them. You’ve a lot of responsibilities as the month begins and can achieve a lot to further your career. But your heart may be absent, your head swimming in old dreams and ideals that have not ben realised. Take time to give them a proper burial. Review your friendships and alliances and see where you truly belong in this world. Who shares your values? Where can you truly make a contribution? An old friendship might return to life now to help you on your journey. You’ve been very consumed by social factors in the past, terrorised by peer pressure and trying your best to belong to the right circles. The Full Moon of the 17th is all about what you love, personally, bringing this into sharp relief. This could symbolise a creative outpouring or a turning point in love. It’s time to follow your heart and let your creations speak for themselves without worrying about what you ‘should’ be doing. Free your mind! This could be a highly creative period and it’s only by externalising what’s inside you that you will know who your real friends are.
Sabian Symbols taken from Dane Rudhyar's An Astrological Mandala
Image by Hyunwon Jang on Unsplash
Article by YourAstroGenes.
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