“I love harmony, I wish it were the way of the world, it is where we are moving towards as a species that said we have to contend with the existential background of entropy, contagion, and cosmic indifference, so let’s use these techniques to liberate ourselves of this condition, lets create islands of negentropy, diversity and complexity in an ocean of creative chaos, build technologies of the imagination that can transform our world and stave off entropy, indifference and injustice no matter how temporary they may prove to be, islands of complex order and pattern, built on the chaos of a miasma of random chance.“

-Facebook Post

Hello Space Cadets, Happy New Year and welcome to the Event Horizon that is 2015! It is going to be an exciting year as it wraps up the last of the Uranus-Pluto squares, and promises many geo-political rearrangements (granted not because of the patterns in the sky but just because of a cursory look at the activism of the last few years and the immense pressures we are all under to evolve or perish). Egressing into this new-year we have a series of gentle and harmonious aspects a month long reprieve from the hard edges of the last Uranus-Pluto cycles, and a nice entrée to warm us all up collectively for the last of the series of squares to occur this Solar Revolution. A soft start is definitely welcome after the wrenching transformations we have seen the world undergo the last few years.

It is encouraging though what the Uranus-Pluto squares have been symbolic of, through these evolutionary catalysts we have seen for the first time in a good four decades (or the last time Uranus-Pluto formed a hard aspect, the conjunction, which was symbolic of the social transformations and calamities we saw in the 1960’s). Emerging out of the saddest and most oppressive circumstances has been some of the most encouraging activism and social cooperation we have seen calling for true institutional change. Arab Spring emerged due to the in-built desire of all humans to be free of oppression and in opposition to totalitarian regimes attempting to entrench their hegemony into the cultural fabric. It was violent in some aspects (mainly how governments reacted or over-reacted), revolutionary and necessary. It was a revolution that used digital technologies to emancipate and free people (reflective of Uranus in Pisces themes of using technology to free humanity from ancient wounds, and Pluto in Sagittarius themes of Global evolution). This of course followed on the heels of the wildly successful Occupy movement which showed for a historical first that one of the most underrated generations could do something demonstrative of much needed radical departures.

The continuing Climate Change crisis precipitated by our inability to address the fact that our economic model is failing us and threatening to wipe us out, is perhaps the impetus that gave voice to the seminal works of Canadian Journalist Naomi Klein, when she wrote “How Science is telling us all to Revolt” in which she chronicles how an obsessive growth economy is pushing human and natural systems to their limit and is creating impetus for a much needed outright revolt and insurrection against these cultural imperatives that are slowly killing us, call it species suicide or just ecocide, in any case she is raising an important new consciousness that in the years ahead will only grow in intensity.

The most horrendous events involving these symbolic ciphers are the unjust killings of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner at the hands of Police Officers using a heavy hand and acting as judge, jury and executioner. The massive riots and protests that these events sparked, highlighted a much needed discussion in the U.S. of racism infecting the social institutions and the judiciary system. These deaths are heartbreakingly tragic and should never, EVER happen again, under no circumstances!! They functioned to give rise to a brilliant protest movement called #blacklivesmatter.

This social transformation is once again the other show dropping in the Uranus-Pluto cycle and also representative of the issues raised in the 1960’s that led to so much evolution, and our symbolic integration of the changes wrought with the first pass of the Uranus-Pluto cycle. Many of the issues we are dealing with today reflect the ones raised during the conjunctions of that time racism, environmental degradation, political corruption, totalitarian governments, extremism, terrorism and much more, we are now seeing it escalate to higher stakes. We have well integrated these changes and they are poised to continue our cultural conversation until institutional change occurs, and a new memetic mutation becomes the dominant paradigm. The injustices of our world and culture simply cannot continue and that is what these symbolic signals are metaphors for, they are signs and praxses of meaning that speak to the better angels of our nature that demand fairness and equality and world where all are free to develop their highest potentials and are not held back by social fictions.

With that understanding of the greater cycle we are enmeshed in I can discuss the January aspect patterns which are setting the tone of the month ahead. They are in a word geared towards harmonious energetics and unlike trines they don’t fall into the trap of complacency because they are the more dynamic sextiles. In particular, these sextiles will speak to the more forward thinking oriented aspects of the human psyche, the higher uses of native intelligence and how we use innovation to liberate ourselves from the background radiation of an indifferent and impersonal cosmos. Let’s begin by discussing the sextiles and then we can fill in the blanks with the other aspects that will overlay these transits and give some complexity to their unfolding. (Aspect patterns are not well understood when taken in isolation as they tend to work together and overlay one another amping up their intensity, they are like a palimpsest in which many ideas are overlayed on the same recording medium.

Starting on January 4^th, 2015 there will be a sextile between Venus and Saturn, flavored by a Sun Uranus Square occurring on the 3^rd, and a Mars and Jupiter opposition starting the first. The Sun-Uranus square can lead to deeper inner conflicts it signals extreme individualism and a need to prove uniqueness outwardly but a troubling paradox internally. It’s an ambivalence with one’s uniqueness, there is an intense drive to be different and a distinct individual on the one hand and then on the other a secret sadness lingers however small of wanting to belong, with emphasis on the possibility of it being amongst a band apart, a tribe of outsiders, and edge dwellers. It translates to an almost dogmatic play at being the Devil’s Advocate and a contrariness that is protecting an identity long and hard fought for. It disposes its natives to extreme individualism, and a need to prove their uniqueness sometimes to their detriment, the motivation however is a good one, it is to move towards liberation and freedom, and to listen to the march of a different drummer with no hesitation.

Collectively this plays out with much of the 99% not being tolerant of following rules, or pandering to illegitimate authority and rebellion will be the dominant theme. Given the critical pivot point and bifurcations our world culture is undergoing it is crucial that we revolt, and begin to follow the path of radical departure from our current suicide trajectory. While a challenging aspect what it represents is the confrontation of the ego by a more expansive reality beyond the limits established by the ego, personally it says to move beyond the borders of the skin enscapulated self and begin to integrate a more transpersonal reality, collectively it is a bellwether of change that seeks to move away from consensus reality.

Adding to this mixture of course is a potent and incendiary Mars-Jupiter opposition which is touching off the Sun-Uranus tensions, and adding another frequency of intensity to them. This opposition is usually indicative of insatiable passion, and a massive amount of activity. In its more destructive manifestations In the human psyche it can spark violence, unrest and agitation, in its more positive aspects it breaks down and takes no prisoners. Perhaps, we may see an uptick in activism taking on more original tactics to getting its relative messages across. The black brunch actions stand as testament to an essential activism (it is probably one of the most brilliant tactics I have seen since SNCC did its sit-ins and freedom rides in the 1960’s). These actions are expressive of this archetype unapologetic, bold, brash, critical and essential to the fires being stoked by the continued institutional racism we are seeing in the U.S. and elsewhere. It is my sincerest hopes that they continue and this conversation begins to shift culture even further towards dismantling these prejudices once and for all, hopefully these symbols can act as catalysts for that.

The Saturn-Venus sextile seeks to add a sense of structure to the proceedings, with the passionate activism emerges an understanding that social structures are in need of necessary change, that institutional change is essential so that our society more accurately reflects the principles of justice and fairness that it is predicated on (also reflects strong Saturn in Libra themes of creating structures that create fairness, justice and beauty, aided by the fact that Saturn is exalted here). Venus adds a further impetus in the feisty and forward sign of Sagittarius. Bold and brash Venus here actively goes after what she wants and takes no prisoners it reflects her inherent duality, that of love and war, she will go to war for love, beauty and fairness (Libra is a Venus ruled sign). The activism we are seeing is Venus inspired, it is oppressed individuals working collectively to bring about much needed change to end the violence directed towards them, and turning institutional inertia into a truer and fairer society where justice is the norm and not the exception.

January 3^rd: Venus enters Capricorn and goes into Mutual Reception with Saturn in Libra: The elements and influences having to do with the promotion of fairness and justice go into their highest frequency of intensity with this mutual reception, Venus and Saturn are incredibly harmonious, Venus encourages fairness and beauty and Saturn makes it real and concrete. Libra being a social sign means that it deals with society’s institutions and especially the ones that make it possible for us to live in cohesive groups, change is on the horizon should we decide to seize the moment and use that energy to inform our decisions and actions.

January 4^th: Mercury enters Capricorn: Communications take on a serious and urgency they otherwise doesn’t exist with the ephemeral nature of language and communications, it is to say ideas and concepts become real and concrete, thinking becomes clear and realistic.

January 5^th, is a Gemini Full Moon: This is a busy and active moon, there is explosive social potential as Gemini is a deeply social and conversational archetype. It is a great time for getting the word out about collectively transforming ideas and concepts and if one has been regularly using the moon cycles to initiate change this one offers a rare objectivity which allows one stand outside of self and look unflinchingly to see if what is desired has been manifested, and what needs to be done in the moon cycles ahead to initiate evolutionary changes. Adding momentum is a sextile between Mercury and Saturn adding a concreteness to our ideas, concepts and intelligence. Realistic thinking dominates, as do practical ideas and thinking with concrete results.

January 10^th: Mars enters Aquarius: Intellectual competition and demands of making concessions to the greater good, does it need more explanation?

These will be the dominant influences that will inform the first half of January and instill there cosmic echoes into the next round of aspects which will begin on the deeply auspicious number of the 13^th. First with a Venus-Sextile to Uranus, a merging that suggests an increased capacity for tolerance and acceptance of people from many distinct backgrounds and a breaking down a barriers that separate us from each other whether they be class, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc.. It may signal the possibility of beginning a dialogue that will creatively destroy our reluctance around talking about race, class and privilege which have always been hot-button issues in the U.S, and increasingly due to our global society the world.

On January 14^th there will be an ingress into A Mercury- Uranus sextile, another of the harmonious aspects dominating January, and the first of two to occur in the month! This is possibly one of the most potent and dynamic of combinations and here’s why. Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury and is symbolic of the higher uses and applications of intelligence (Mercury), when the two go into harmonious aspect and bring out the best in each other, forward and innovative thinking surfaces to the forefront of the imagination and society can make a leap forward if it so chooses to seize the energy of that transit. Uranus in Pisces casts the great dream of technology being an avenue through which we can liberate and connect all of humanity and a vehicle for solving some of the more insoluble problems we face. There are those who say that technology can’t solve problems and it can create new ones and that is certainly true to an extent. I disagree that it cannot solve problems, in our society it is truly the only thing that ever has, the trick with technology is to utilize it in a way that we don’t end up making it our G-d and negate our own creativity and problem solving skills in the process. Technology can indeed have unintended consequences and create problems but more often that not it used to empower the better part of human nature, and in our era has been used as a tool of liberation and connection, especially the Uranian-Mercurial domain of communications technology (read the Internet). This sextile will highlight those inborn tendencies and add an energy to them. Technology which liberates, in evidence of course are the above stated examples of activism all of which have social media and technology to their advantage to send important messages, enlighten and liberate others and hopefully begin important cultural dialectics about social change. It is my sincerest hop that this sextile and the next that follows on the 28^th of January inspire this exact dialogue and lead to sudden innovations, necessary upheavals, and forward thinking movement on all fronts pertaining to social justice and institutional change. (Uranus in Pisces encourages this for all of humanity, Mercury in Capricorn adds a gravitas to this, and makes it collapse into the real).

January 15^th: Marks the last three days of Saturn’s transit through Libra and his entry into the deep and mysterious sign of Scorpio (January18th). It is here that whatever was begun in Libra will have its completion in Scorpio, which is to say whatever was initiated in Libra will be manifested in Scorpio. It would seem the powerful protests we have seen here in the U.S. in response to the unjust slayings of innocent people at the hands of police brutality and irresponsible uses of power, will become more dominant and will ultimately lead to social transformation, granted it will be a change that will continue long after Saturn has traversed through Scorpio (then again any real evolutionary change happens over a longer time span). What will hopefully become apparent is that what has been catalyzed by these tragedies will become crystalized into concerted action and change. In that light the Saturn-Mars square of January 15^th will lend its powers to any campaign of concerted effort for real and enduring change. The great super=power of this symbolic interaction is that it lends itself an tireless and insatiable drive to work through adversity and excruciatingly trying circumstances, certainly an asset that any activism geared towards true change needs in spades. On the personal level it translates the same way, keep going, no matter how much circumstance tries to get you to fold.

January 19^th: Venus-Jupiter opposition: A tendency towards spreading resources too thinly is in evidence here, largely stemming from being very big-hearted and an insatiable optimism. It can translate to our ideals being bigger than our means. It is a reminder that we must stay within our means as we work towards a new social ideal. It can also highlight a need to put a focus on the social hierarchies and distinctions that unjustly hold us all back from fulfilment of our truest potential, in the race to socially climb the echelon, the understanding that it is a constructed reality having nothing to do with fact gets lost in translation. Consider this a wake-up call to recognizing that these systems that divide us were designed to keep a minority in power and can be dismantled just as easily.

January 20^th: Mars Conjunct Neptune: A tendency towards confused action and diffuse motivations, and not taking personal accountability for one’s actions. This one would apply to the 1% of our society at the top echelons of the social pyramid. We have characteristically seen continued action taken to the detriment of the greater good with little to no accountability by the individuals and groups in question as to how those actions impact everyone else. This transit represents a symbolic opening for us to address this imbalance and begin to put into place systems of accountability which stop enabling these destructive actions to continue. It can no longer be acceptable for those tasked to serve and protect fail to do so and kill instead out of unconscious hatred and abuse of authority.

January 22^nd: Mercury enters Aquarius: symbolic of communicating about and for the masses, the popular voice, and a mental focus on the Greater Good, and the collective of Humanity as a whole. January 23^rd: Sun Sextile Saturn: The sense of identity and selfhood gets a grounding in reality, a time when identity becomes empowered and concrete. This translates socially to that fact that the campaigns for change will finally get recognition before the world community and will continue to shine the light on the very real injustices we are seeing all around us. If we find ourselves feeling more centered into a more solid self-concept this transit will certainly add gravitas to that perception.

January 26^th: Venus enters Aquarius: the love of all humanity is highlighted here, our ability for tolerance and appreciation of worldly diversity are symbolically heightened under this ingress.

January 30^th: we finish out the month on a heady and powerful note with two aspects touching off one another in the overall arc. Mars will makes a sextile to Pluto and The sun will go into conjunction with Mercury, and within close enough orb to say that Mercury goes combust in other words to say Mercury is in lights and visible everywhere! The Mars sextile Pluto means symbolically that personal will aligns with collective will, which is to say that perhaps we are more prone to take the time and examine our own prejudices and privileges, our own blinders in relation to the impact they have on others, especially as it pertains to their effects on groups within our society that bear the brunt of those privileges and prejudices. We begin perhaps to align our will and sense of justice to the one that will most benefit the greater good. There will be casualties in the process, identities that were once cherished and seen as essential to survival will be relinquished or leave us writhing in agony as we cling to an outmoded self-concept. The Mercury-Sun interaction will lend itself to using words to illuminate, and using intelligence to enlighten and uplift, it is a sweet note to end the month on, and concludes a much needed reprieve from the intensity of the Uranus-Pluto squares ahead.

That’s all for me fellow space travelers, and I wish you all a prosperous and vital trip round the sun, see you next month!

A special shout out to Laurence Joseph Jones who read this before I posted, he was the inspiration behind this month’s post.

References:

SNCC: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, article retrieved on January 8^th, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_Nonviolent_Coordinating_Committee

“How Science is telling us all to revolt.” Naomi Klein writing for the New Statesman, October 29^th 2013, retrieved on January 7^th, 2015 from http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/10/science-says-revolt

“The obstacles we face are not just external” Naomi Klein writing for The Nation, May 12, 2014, retrieved on January 7^th, 2015 from http://www.thenation.com/article/179460/change-within-obstacles-we-face-are-not-just-external?page=0,1

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