Sixes and Nines

Today is January 6^th. 2013 is a Universal Year of six. And right now, we have six planets at 6 or 9 degrees of a sign.

Today also holds an exact conjunction between Mercury and Pluto (at 10:43am CST).

If we look at recent conjunctions of planets (not counting the moon or the Node of the moon), then today’s conjunction is the third of four in-a-row with Pluto:

11/27/12 – Mars-Pluto @ 8 degrees Capricorn
12/29/12 – Sun-Pluto @ 9 degrees Capricorn
1/6/13 – Mercury-Pluto @ 9 degrees Capricorn
1/16/13 – Venus-Pluto @ 9 degrees Capricorn

Interestingly, the subsequent conjunction with Pluto of this type will be on 11/15/13 when Venus again meets with Pluto and again at 9 degree Capricorn (completing a full trek around the Zodiac)!

To me, this is very significant. Some astrologers refer to the Pluto-Uranus square as The 2012 Aspect because it certainly set the stage for 2012 and the year or two on either side of it. 12/21/12 was considered the transition from one age to the next, so it is only fitting that Pluto – the god of transformation – would be dominant at this time.

So if this transition/transformation is so profound, why does it feel like everything is happening in slow motion right now? Have you noticed that this first week of January has felt rather inactive and lethargic? Do you feel like you’re having a hard time getting started with the new? Do old feelings, thoughts, responsibilities, and/or habits keep pulling you back?

Well, let’s take a look at the chart and see what’s going on.

Notice that Mars is semi-sextile with Pluto and Mercury. That means that Mars is also at 9 degrees, and only one sign ahead. This aspect is not a strong one, but is a harmonious one. Thus Mars’ push should be in the same direction as Mercury and Pluto.

But now consider the red line. Saturn squaring Mars is huge! And it is building (exact on 1/7/13 at 1:32pm CST). So Mars is revving his engines, but Saturn has our vehicle in park. And this time Saturn has a slight edge because it occupies Mars’ sign of Scorpio and is sextile with Pluto-Mercury, a stronger aspect than the semi-sextile. On top of all of that, this is a fixed square between Saturn and Mars (since both Scorpio and Aquarius are fixed signs), thus the square itself is stronger – holding steady despite the building of energy.

Last month, I wrote about the Yod between Pluto, Saturn, and Jupiter. This is still within orb. Pluto and Saturn in Mutual Reception have a plan, but it is a long-term plan. The impetuous and impatient Mars wants to jump into action, but he has to wait for the go ahead from the other two, and he doesn’t have that right now.

So, as you push and prod to get your 2013 plan started, you’re probably feeling a bit of frustration – either by life circumstances or time itself. Given the way the holidays landed this year, this past week was not a full week of productivity for most.

The Universe being perfect, always has a reason. If you now look at the lower triangle, you see purpose for the pause. At the exact moment that Mercury met with Pluto (to discuss and refine his long-term plan), the moon was only 5 arc-minutes from an exact trine with Chiron, which occurred 9 minutes later. This lower triangle, in my mind, begs the questions:

How is your emotional health?
When things don’t go as you choose, what are you doing with that frustration and angst?

In a nutshell, things are holding tight for a bit longer, while internal energy builds. It’s like shaking a bottle of champagne with the cork held tight. Now the tricky part will be releasing that pressure without creating too much Plutonian explosiveness.

And that’s where Venus comes in. Venus moves into Capricorn on Tuesday 1/8/13. For the 9 days following that, she dominates, aspecting one planet after the next. If I had to make a prediction about the remainder of the sun’s journey through Capricorn (now to 1/19/13), I could see the following:

For the first part of this week, things will slowly begin to move forward, but like a 16 year-old learning to drive manual transmission. There will be jumps forward, and stops, then unwinding solutions that get things moving again. This won’t last long. By 1/10/13, five planets will be in Capricorn with a clear agenda of moving forward. Finally, on 1/11/13, the new moon will decidedly shift us forward. The latter half of January will flow and fly compared to this first half.

On 1/14/13, as Jupiter completes his retrograde motion, he’ll exactly square Chiron. If and when you find yourself frustrated, anxious, fearful, or hurt this month, take note of what is being shown to you. Most specifically, notice what you react to, and thus where your buttons are. External stimuli is what it is, it’s our reacting to it that causes the greatest pain.