Move Towards Mastery

Forecast for Mon., Jan. 1st  – Sun., Jan. 7th, 2018

First off: Happy New Year! We are entering 2018! Wow! We will look at what’s coming up in 2018 in more detail during the Monthly Forecasting Forum on Jan. 3rd. Feel free to join us — you can register here

If you would like to join live, please keep in mind that registration will close an hour before the live event begins, if you register after 3pm EST on Wednesday you will receive the mp4-video presentation of the webinar. Please note that we will be talking about what’s coming up in 2018 — a look a head at the whole year!

This week’s headline items: the Full Moon in Cancer becomes exact on Monday evening, Uranus comes to halt (ending its 5-month retrograde phase) on Tuesday late morning; Mars aligns with Jupiter in Scorpio on Saturday evening.

There will also be four Moon VoC phases this week: Monday very early morning until 3:10am EST, Tuesday early evening (for a little over 8.5 hours), Thursday early evening (for 9 hours), and Saturday late evening (for almost 9.5 hours).

Monday (January 1st): the Moon remains in chatty, versatile Gemini and VoC until 3:10am EST. At that time, the Moon moves into protective, nurturing Cancer, where it will journey until Tuesday late evening. With this Moon placement, we are more sensitive to what people say and therefore our feelings are more easily hurt — so be kind to yourself and others. Self-Care is key for the next two and half days 😉

Emotional safety is important to us as well; we like connecting to the familiar and we enjoy nurturing ourselves and others — home and family call to us, for instance. Make sure though, that your glass is filled before letting others drink from it, otherwise you might start to feel drained and resentful. This Moon placement also starts the build-up towards the Full Moon (exact later that evening). Click here to watch my Full Moon video

Monday evening, at 9:24pm EST, the Moon opposes the Sun (in 11.5 degrees of Cancer/Capricorn). As mentioned above, the entrance of the Moon into Cancer (Monday, very early in the morning) began the energetic build up towards this Full Moon.

This will be another “Super” Full Moon! The Moon is at its closest point to the Earth and therefore the gravitational pull is stronger; we experience this on the physical, emotional and psychic levels.

Relationships of all kinds are highlighted during this time — but with this Full Moon, there is a particularly strong emphasis on family- and business-relationships.

With the Sun in Capricorn for the past 1.5 weeks, we are looking for balance, and are more aware than ever that something needs to be brought back into alignment. The balance we seek is between the Capricorn–Cancer polarity.

Capricorn teaches us to honor all aspects of the physical world; it also urges us to create and build something of long-term use to everyone. Cancer, on the other hand, represents the formation of the emotional body and an understanding of our feelings and needs; this helps us navigate life by building an awareness of what is healthy or harmful to us.

In order to emerge as healthy beings, we need to be able to nurture ourselves and others, in part by taking care of our feelings and our “inner baby” (Cancer) — yet we also need to be able to evolve into responsible adults, able to provide for ourselves and others (Capricorn).

Capricorn asks us to step into our power and mature to the point where we no longer need to look outside of ourselves for approval or validation — to become the master of our own lives.

Questions you can ask yourself: Am I more connected to what nurtures me — or to my “shoulds”? Does my current environment support my inner growth? Does it provide me with nourishing bonds to others?

You could say that Cancer is about healthy roots, while Capricorn is about sharing the fruits of our labor — and both signs represent feminine, receptive energies, that require of us to generate from the inside out.

As well as illuminating our path towards greater spiritual alignment, Full Moons illuminate the shadow side of each sign — for the next two weeks, ask yourself these questions: Am I taking too little or too much responsibility in a particular area of my life? When do I have a tendency to blame, shame or feel guilty? Where do I tend to get defensive? Where do I need to set better boundaries?

In order to develop a healthy inner Capricorn, we must learn to listen to our feelings and honor our needs, rather than disregarding them. Only then can we build something of value and move towards mastery.

Ask yourself (and as best as you can, be really honest with yourself): Where and when do I tend to look for permission outside of myself? In what moments of my life did I abdicate my authority, or project it onto others? How important is status, control or winning to me?

Cancer seeks to create a sense of home and family, the experience of nourishing bonds, and surroundings that support our growth. Ask yourself: When do I have the tendency to hold on to the past? When do I resist change? What happens when I don’t allow myself to feel my feelings?

As we cultivate our inner life, our soul light builds and radiates out to nurture others; we ultimately discover that our true ‘home’ is actually the light inside our own heart. Feel free to also watch Full Moon/SuperMoon video

This Full Moon points to several energy patterns:

The first one is a Grand Trine in Water, involving the Moon in Cancer, Neptune in Pisces, and Mars/Jupiter in Scorpio. This brings a feminine emphasis towards the flow of compassion, psychic/intuitive sensing, and with it a desire for emotional fulfillment and empowerment within our relationships.

This Grand Trine will help us raise our vibrations, if we choose to do so; it will make it easier to embrace shadow issues and redefine them — we get a chance to bring awareness and acceptance to any places in us that have felt closed off to the public, neglected, ignored.

Seeking help from trusted support systems or healers during this process is not only recommended, it is also wise if we seek to heal our insecurities and those inner places of disconnect. So… for the next two weeks, ask yourself: What if I listened to myself, nurtured myself, treated myself with the respect, understanding and love I would show my dearest friend? What would I be guided to do? How might others benefit from that?

The second of those energy patterns is a Stellium in Capricorn: the Sun aligns with Pluto, Venus and Saturn. As the third earth sign, Capricorn (at its highest vibration) seeks to create forms that are based on spiritual truths — that all matter is composed of energy, and it is our collective duty to use all energy responsibly.

Ask yourself: What am I likely to manifest in my own world, given the energies that are part of my creative process every day?

We are being asked to bring conscious awareness to our essence and purpose (Pluto), to our roles, rules, responsibilities and boundaries (Saturn), and finally to our values and how we relate to ourselves and others (Venus).

This provides an opportunity to truly align with what brings emotional and material security to our world. As best as you can, focus on dedication, wholeness and truth — devote yourself to your true passions, to your heart. We are more likely to want to work towards a goal, to achieve things, give form to something in the external world that aligns with those values.

Ask yourself: What lies between me and my Authentic Self? Can I actually find any such obstacle if I let go of memories and concepts, and just look here and now?

It’s also worth noting: Success and rewards will come in direct proportion to the amount of authentic passion, integrity and maturity we bring to the world. Ask yourself: Where do I need to commit more deeply to what really matters? How authentic am I when it comes to my long-term goals? How passionate? How truthful?

And of course, as always when Cancer and Capricorn are involved: take baby-steps (or if you prefer “take it one day at a time” 😉 Ask yourself: Why would I sprint if I can get there at the perfect time by walking? Where does the urge for rushing or “getting there” come from? Is it based in fear or love? What if I brought 5% more self-love to every moment while working towards my achievement? Could I do that just by checking in with myself from time to time?

The third major energy pattern that this Full Moon points to is the Pluto/Uranus square — which is only 5 degrees apart again, due to Uranus’s Retrograde motion and station phase at the time of this Full Moon. As mentioned in these forecasts many times since 2011, this square is an invitation for us all to make a giant step forward, both individually and collectively — we are ready for major changes in our own lives and on a global level.

This is all about each of us stepping up, stretching ourselves, making a difference, one by one — we feel a deep inner need to create personal and global change — we detect shifts in the world at large. Authenticity and individual self-expression are paramount. The meaning of “Leadership” is changing: We must all lead now, in our own lives and in the world, for the good of all.

Ask yourself: Where could I play a bigger game? Where am I being called to step up?

This aspect carries an extra charge, because Uranus stations direct at 24 degrees of Aries on Jan. 2nd, only one day after the Full Moon becomes exact. It’s time to make a real (not merely cosmetic) change in at least one area of our life. Uranus in Aries exhorts us to be bold, think for ourselves, and not be dependent on external approval.

Ask yourself: Am I expressing my individuality to the fullest? Am I connecting to a larger vision for my future? Is anything holding me back?

If we insist on holding onto a job, relationship, or situation we have outgrown, an unexpected turn of events may force us to go in a new direction. Uranus stationed retrograde on August 3rd at 28.5° of Aries; reflect on the weeks around that date. Ask yourself: What needs to change in my life, small or large? What is asking for a quantum leap?

As best as you can, be brave enough to step out… This is also a great time to work with your own astrological chart, or seek other ways to elevate your consciousness, create your own reality and experience freedom from within. Ask yourself: Where do I feel the desire to break free? Where have I denied myself permission to be free? Unique? Simply “myself”?

With this much erratic energy moving through our bodies, we are best off staying in movement and “shaking it out”. Flexibility, Courage, Self-Empowerment: these are the watchwords! Remember: what you do for you, you do for everyone… and what you do for everyone, you do for you!

Mars, the archetype of desire and courage, willpower and assertion, is in almost 15 degrees of Scorpio and is squaring the Moon Nodes, just as Jupiter did at the last Lunation.

Squares mark turning points — and this one is a turning point in our collective, spiritual journey. It’s asking us to find a balance between feminine and masculine energies — when we look at this, taking Scorpio into account, we can see that we are actually being invited to transform our inner masculine. Ask yourself: What does assertiveness look like when fear is not present? How can we use our masculine energies in a empowering way?

In order to get to a place of greater joy on an individual and collective level, one where we truly feel grateful for our lives, we need to first transform our approach towards passion, assertion, and leadership.

Ask yourself: What does true leadership mean to me? Where might I locate this energy within me? If I found it, what might I do with it? What small (or large) steps could I take to empower myself and others in my various communities?

During this time of change and transformation, self-care is definitely worth our attention… Make sure you get plenty of rest, affection, water and healthy nutritious foods 😉

To sum it all up: Tap into your inner courage. Honor your feelings and needs, so you can build something of value — and share the fruits of your labor with the world.

Ask yourself: What might the balance lie between nurturing and self-care, versus achieving my goals? Am I doing what I want to do, or what I think I should do? As best as you can, be kind and gentle, compassionate, and accepting of yourself — this will help balance the Cancer/Capricorn polarities.  Again, feel free to also watch Full Moon/SuperMoon video

Do you have your Ascendant, Career Point (or personal planets) in 9-14 degrees of Cancer, Capricorn, Aries and Libra? If so, you are more affected by this month’s Full Moon. This is also true for those of us who have our Ascendant or Sun-sign in Leo or Cancer (the Sun rules Leo; the Moon rules Cancer).

Tuesday (Jan. 2nd): the Moon remains in protective, nurturing Cancer all day (see Monday very early morning for details).

Tuesday early morning, an opportune Sun/Neptune aspect becomes exact at 4:37am EST. We started to feel this aspect from last Sunday on; it will remain strong until this Thursday. This aspect is an opportunity both to dissolve what no longer serves us, and to connect to our intuition. We definitely feel inspired. It’s also a great time to bring a sense of flow and faith to long-term plans.

Our capacity for compassion (both toward ourselves and others) is quite strong, especially if we are able to acknowledge it. Dreams and reality find a way to work together now — any spiritual or creative endeavors that are started during this time will most likely do very well — and it feels great to donate time or money to favored causes.

Remember that this is an “opportunity” — it isn’t just handed to us, we have to make it happen.

Do you have your Ascendant, Career Point (or personal planets) in 10-14 degrees of Capricorn, Pisces, Taurus or Scorpio? If so, you will be more aware of this opportunity. This is also true for those of us who have our Ascendant or Sun-sign in Leo or Pisces (the Sun rules Leo; Neptune is the ruler of Pisces).

Tuesday morning, at 9:13am EST, Uranus comes to a halt in 24.5 degrees of Aries, turning direct again after its 5-month retrograde phase. We’ve had 5 months to reevaluate certain things: goals, group causes, issues around freedom. We’ve also reflected on our vision for the future, and where the obstacles to that vision might lie.

We are now ready to take into the world all that we have learned and make some progress. Uranus will be back to its usual speed by Jan. 14th; at that point you could say its “Change or be changed” — change is inevitable, so it might as well be change you’ve chosen consciously. Note that Uranus also rules electronics, technology and the internet; these may all be influenced by the planet’s slower movement.

Is your Sun sign or Ascendant in Aquarius? Or do you have your Ascendant, Career Point (or personal planets) in 22-27 degrees of Aries, Libra, Capricorn or Cancer? If so, you will feel more connected to the Uranus station.

Tuesday at 5:46pm EST, we enter a Moon void of course (VoC). that lasts for a little over 8.5 hours, until 2:23am EST (Wednesday very early morning). Use this intuitive time to make adjustments and (as best as you can) find creative solutions to seemingly insoluble situations. Make space both for going after your vision and for taking care of emotional or family issues.

As always with a Moon VoC, as best as you can, don’t start anything brand-new, stick to routine things, or simply go with the flow. You may also want to plan Tuesday evening and night ahead of time 😉

Wednesday (Jan. 3rd): the Moon remains in protective, nurturing Cancer and VoC until 2:23am EST (see Monday very early morning for details).

Wednesday at 2:23am EST, the Moon moves into fun and attention-loving Leo, where it will journey until Friday very early morning. We may lack objectivity and struggle with backing down or compromising.

We all love to be admired — or at the very least acknowledged — for our greatness 🙂 So hand out some compliments — let people know how proud you are of them, tell them how much you love them. Come from the heart in this and all other things… be honest and authentic, as best you can.

Fun, games and romance are a big part of this energy as well. You might also enjoy spending time with little ones. If there are no “outer children” around, how about getting in touch with your “inner child” — it’s definitely easier for the next two days. What are you most grateful for today? What would be heaps and heaps of fun? What would be so much fun, you let out a tiny squeak, just thinking of it?

Wednesday early afternoon, an opportune Venus/Neptune aspect becomes exact at 12:38pm EST. We started to feel this aspect from Monday evening on; it will remain strong until Thursday night. This is an opportunity for compassion and kindness in our social and work-related interactions. We are more attuned to the subtleties of human interaction, and are more inclined to naturally cooperate with others.

We tend to “feel” each other on an energetic level now, a sensitive approach is therefore recommended. This is also an opportunity for imaginative or romantic interactions. Remember: opportunities are openings; they aren’t necessarily handed to us — we have to “take” them and make something of them.

Do you have your Ascendent, Career Point (or any personal planets) in 10-14 degrees of Capricorn, Pisces, Scorpio or Taurus? If so, you may be more aware of this opportunity. This is also true for those of us who have our Ascendant or Sun-sign in Taurus, Libra or Pisces (Venus is the ruler of Taurus and Libra; Neptune rules Pisces).

Thursday (Jan. 4th): the Moon remains in fun and attention-loving Leo all day (see Wednesday very early morning for details).

Thursday at 6:10pm EST, we enter a Moon void of course (VoC). that lasts for 9 hours, until 3:12am EST (Friday very early morning). During this intuitive time, have fun connecting with others and doing things that bring you joy — explore, take a risk. As always with a Moon VoC, as best as you can, don’t start anything brand-new, stick to routine things, or simply go with the flow. You may also want to plan Thursday evening and night ahead of time 😉

Friday (Jan. 5th): the Moon remains in fun and attention-loving Leo and VoC until 3:12am EST (see Wednesday very early morning for details).

Friday at 3:12am EST, the Moon moves into detail-oriented, practical Virgo, where it will journey until Sunday morning; turning our focus toward the practical and wholesome. We are generous with our time/services and we love to help others. We also have a fondness for science and anything that makes sense in our world — things and knowledge we can apply and use.

Health might come also into focus at this time. We notice the parts that make up the whole; this is a great time to see if our daily routines (eating, work, self-care, etc.) align with our long-term goals. 

Saturday (Jan. 6th): the Moon remains in detail-oriented, practical Virgo all day (see Friday very early morning for details).

Saturday evening, a harmonious Mercury/Uranus aspect becomes exact at 6:39pm EST. We started to feel this aspect from Wednesday night on; it will remain strong until next week, Monday night (Jan. 8th) This aspect supports a connection between our higher mind and our day-to-day mind. We are able to receive inspiration from higher places and maybe even look into the future. We are able to communicate our vision for a better future; insights arise from these communications.

Original, creative insights and ideas can appear out of nowhere; as best as you can, stay open to these unique “downloads” — they might change how you see and proceed with life 😉 This is a good time to communicate online, engage in computer-related activities or scientific projects, and also for anything metaphysical. Group activities like Meetups are great things to be involved with right now — especially if they allow us to share our vision for a better future.

Do you have your Ascendant, Career Point (or personal planets) in 21-28 degrees of Sagittarius, Aries or Leo? If so, you will feel especially blessed by this connection. This is also true for those of us who have our Ascendant or Sun-sign in Gemini, Virgo or Aquarius (Mercury is the ruler of Gemini and Virgo; Uranus is the ruler of Aquarius)

Also on Saturday evening, a Mars/Jupiter alignment in almost 18 degrees of Scorpio becomes exact at 7:39pm EST. We started to feel this aspect from Monday evening on; it will remain strong until next week, Thursday evening (Jan. 11th). Mars’s energy combines with Jupiter’s expansiveness to increase our enthusiasm, liveliness, and optimism.

We enjoy travel, flying, the outdoors, competitive work, vigorous exercise and other Jupiter-ruled pursuits a lot more right now — especially when they also happen to fit in with our deeper emotional desires for connection and the healing of old traumas.

We are more likely to bring a self-confident “can-do” attitude, even a certain relish, to life’s deeper issues — and to any resources shared with others in areas where we exhibit a strong will to excel. We don’t rest on our laurels: we keep going on to even bigger and better things.

Particularly when it comes to intimate partnerships and shared financial matters, this could prove a very productive and busy time; indeed, given our capacity for skillfully handling a wide variety of tasks at the same time, we risk overextending. Don’t worry: Just pace yourself and go after your goals in the most practical and precise manner you can muster… Tomorrow is another day 😉

The last Mars/Jupiter conjunction took place on Oct 17th, 2015. What did you begin then? How could that now be deepened? What if that could now go to the next level? How might that come about?

Do you have your Ascendant, Career Point (or personal planets) in 15-21 degrees of Scorpio, Taurus, Leo or Aquarius? If so, you will be more aware of this opportunity. This is also true for those of us who have our Ascendant or Sun-sign in Aries or Sagittarius (Mars is the ruler of Aries; Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius)

Saturday at 9:51pm EST, we enter a Moon void of course (VoC). that lasts for almost 9.5 hours, until 7:15am EST (Sunday morning). Do your best to use this intuitive time to make some adjustments in your life and find creative solutions to seemingly unsolvable situations. 

Make space both for looking at your life philosophies, and for organizing your daily routines. As always with a Moon VoC, as best as you can, don’t start anything brand-new, stick to routine things, or simply go with the flow. You may also want to plan Saturday late evening and night ahead of time 😉

Saturday late evening, a challenging Mercury/Chiron aspect becomes exact at 11:06pm EST. We started to feel this aspect from Wednesday night on; it will remain strong until next week, Monday night (Jan. 8th). This combination might bring up some insecurities in our verbal, in-person or email interactions.

That said, this could also be an opportunity for healing; we are energized to move past harsh criticism of ourselves or others, towards more loving and compassionate structures for thinking and communicating. As best as you can, stretch yourself — and be open to bringing love and understanding to it all (and that includes you) 🙂

Due to Mercury’s Retrograde phase in December, we are experiencing this particular aspect for the third time within the last 6 weeks (the first two times were between Nov. 21st — 27th and Dec. 7th — 12th.) As you look back to those time periods, ask yourself: Did any conversations bring up (or even trigger) wounds, hurts, or insecurities from the past? Did I have any insight about myself in regards to those wounds or insecurities? What steps am I ready to take now?

Do you have your Ascendant, Career Point or any personal planets in 22-28 degrees of Sagittarius, Pisces, Virgo or Gemini? If so, you are more affected by this aspect. This is also true for those of us who have our Ascendant or Sun-sign in Gemini or Virgo (Mercury is the ruler of Gemini and Virgo).

Sunday (Jan. 7th): the Moon remains in detail-oriented, practical Virgo and VoC until 7:15am EST (see Friday very early morning for details).

Sunday at 7:15am EST, the Moon moves into relationship-oriented, harmony-seeking Libra, where it will journey until next week, Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 9th). The energy of the Libra Moon helps us be naturally courteous and diplomatic; we are more polite at this time, as we seek the approval of others.

We very much want to maintain equal, fair relationships at this time, and are therefore open to making compromises and negotiating. These next two days are a great time for mediation — but our need for peace and accompanying aversion to direct conflict could pull us to “yes” more easily than we might like.

We may also be able see both sides of the equation so well that we can’t make decisions. As best as you can, find an inner balance with this and communicate what needs to be said with grace and charm — even if it’s “No” 😉 One last quick note: this is also a great time for anything to do with visual arts. This Moon placement also starts the build-up towards the last Quarter Moon (which, will be exact Monday early evening…)

A head’s up for next Monday (Jan. 8th): the Moon remains in relationship-oriented, harmony-seeking Libra all day (see Sunday morning for details). In the morning, an opportune Sun/Jupiter aspect becomes exact at 7:07am EST. We started to feel this aspect from Saturday on; it will remain strong until Wednesday (Jan. 10th). In the late morning, an opportune Venus/Jupiter aspect becomes exact at 11:13am EST. We started to feel this aspect from Saturday evening on; it will remain strong until Tuesday night (Jan.9th).  

Mid-afternoon, an opportune Mars/Pluto aspect becomes exact at 2:59pm EST. We started to feel this aspect from Friday evening on; it will remain strong until Thursday evening (Jan. 11th). In the early evening, at 5:25pm EST, the Last Quarter Moon in Libra becomes exact. The Moon in Libra makes a challenging aspect to the Sun in Capricorn. We started to feel this aspect build from the moment the Moon entered Libra Sunday morning. More about all the details in next week’s forecast 😉 

Have a fantastic week!

Many blessings,

Sonja

PS: To apply my forecasts and videos to your own birth chart, watch my 30-minute class on: “How to Read Your Birth Chart” and feel free to go to my Facebook Fan page for my daily forecasts 😉