Eye on Aquarius

Aquarian energy abounds, and the New Year begins in a funky fashion this month with several planets availing themselves of the assets this sign offers. Dreamy and mysterious Neptune, already established in its lingering transit through the sign of Aquarius since 1998, is being joined for a bit by a few more planets entering and transiting Aquarius throughout January.

Being one of the outer planets, Neptune relates more to mass-consciousness as a whole, and to spirituality in particular. Since Neptune entered the sign of fellowship, more and more people are suddenly being awakened to the awareness of our deep, innate spiritual connection with each other and to the Universe as a whole. Groups of like-minded individuals are finding each other, and are feeling an exquisite sense of homecoming, while still enjoying their own individuality. These new “spiritual families” are creating an innovative understanding of love, cooperation, and solidarity while working together toward a common goal.

Individually and collectively, we’re experiencing a remarkable increase of intuitive awareness and interest in esoteric healing, religion and spirituality, metaphysics, psychic perception, and other forms of subtle energetic and spiritual knowledge. The key is to remain open, aware and grounded, so that all the wonderful gifts that Neptune in Aquarius offers us can be utilized in practical, far-reaching ways that have potential for the highest good of all.

These enlightening experiences will be further enhanced this month by the entrance of a few other planetary participants, beginning with Venus, who leaves practical, controlled, introverted Capricorn, and enters intensely independent, blissfully quirky Aquarius on January 5, inspiring a more unconventional approach to matters of the heart, the arts and social affairs. The feeling here is self-sufficient in nature, and for those of us in relationships at this time, we may feel inspired to engage in a more inter-independent approach with each other, and to work towards building strong friendships within our romantic relations. Aquarius loves freedom, sometimes at all costs, so if we allow ourselves and our partners a bit more personal autonomy at this time, we will surely benefit from the experience. Ask any Aquarian and they’ll tell you that it is possible to love someone completely, and yet still enjoy one’s own individuality. Aquarius also loves fun, so just remember to make it enjoyable however you choose to celebrate the romance and social interactions in your life at this time.

Aquarians in particular, and those with prominent Aquarius in their chart, will appear more graceful and attractive to others, especially when Venus conjuncts their Sun and any other Aquarian planets in their natal charts. They will also likely engage in more social and cultural activities during this period. These activities are likely to be rather avant-garde in nature; a most appealing circumstance to eccentric water-bearers.

Venus will work her way into Pisces by January 29, inspiring a dreamier, more idealistic romanticism in our approach to love relationships.
On a bit of a side note, the full Moon in Cancer Jan 3 could find us feeling more emotionally sensitive than usual, and if you happen to find yourself feeling a bit miffed by something someone has said or done, you may wish to take a moment before reacting to determine whether the slight was real or imagined. Chances are your sensitivities have blown matters a bit out of proportion with the person’s intentions, and taking a moment to breathe and reflect will likely spare you both from some unnecessary melodrama.

Among the many attributes of Aquarius is the desire for knowledge, and as Mercury joins Venus in Aquarius on the 16th, we gain a certain unique intellectual objectivity to our thoughts and ways of expressing ourselves. Aquarius as an air sign is cerebral in nature, and yet brings a bit of an unusual twist to all its “pompous intellectualism,” just to make things interesting. Expect to become inspired to stir things up a bit in your verbal interactions, perhaps engaging in a friendly debate or two over politics, humanitarian interests, or the light and breezy philosophical idea of human existentialism. (Aquarius complex? Why, whatever gave you that idea?)

Mercury in Aquarius allows us to separate our thoughts from our emotions, and therefore to look at issues in the spirit of objective analysis. Remember however, to respect the outlook of others even if they don’t mesh with your own, since Mercury in this sign can make us a bit fixed and intellectually opinionated. Our opportunity with this transit is to hone our skills at allowing things and people to be what and who they are, and to recognize that we don’t need validation from others in order to make our individual beliefs and desires a reality. This is also a good time for studies, since you can expect to soak up knowledge with lightning speed, and if there’s some concept that you’ve been meaning to explore, now is the time to do the research.

The Sun joins Neptune, Mercury and Venus in this lively energy mix on the 21st, with the Moon riding along for a couple days, making this a time of idiosyncratic mental agility and friendly socializing. Expect to have stimulating conversations filled with innovative ideas and unconventional concepts. Because Aquarius is essentially humanitarian in nature with an outgoing, extroverted energy, you may feel inspired to participate in charitable group efforts, or perhaps you’d prefer to engage in more personal, quieter deeds of compassion. Whatever your preference, this is definitely a good time to reach out and connect with those who would benefit from your presence in their lives.

In summary, Aquarius is the sign of camaraderie, and with so many planets riding the electrically original wave of Aquarius this month, friendship and group activities take precedence as we move toward February.

Namaste