January 2020 Newsletter

he Capricorn archetype will predominate during 2020, with the December solar eclipse, January Lunar Eclipse and the conjunction of Saturn and Pluto all bringing this into sharp relief.

Best wishes for 2020

Christine Rothwell
Email: christinerothwell@outlook.com
Website: www.christine-rothwell.com

Contents

January overview
Saturn conjunct Pluto in Capricorn
Consultations and Gift Certificates
2020 Astrology Classes

January begins with only Uranus retrograde, and it stations direct on the 11th.
Note: All the dates below are for Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time.

January 3: Mars to Sagittarius
January 11: Uranus stations direct
January 11: Full Moon / Lunar Eclipse in Cancer
January 13: Saturn conjunct Pluto
January 14: Venus to Pisces
January 17: Mercury to Aquarius
January 21: Sun to Aquarius
January 25: New Moon in Aquarius [Chinese New Year]

The Boxing Day Solar Eclipse in Capricorn along with the Lunar Eclipse in Cancer [opposed by a stellium in Capricorn] and the conjunction of Saturn and Pluto all suggest the current world view is heavily influenced by the Capricorn / Saturn archetype. This energy calls us all to undertake a major reality check and find the strength, will and self-discipline to heed the call to take personal and collective responsibility for our world. Climate change, economic concerns and the rise of populism all come to mind as issues that require urgent attention.

Australia’s Swearing In Chart is currently experiencing two major challenging astrological transits: Uranus squaring our IC MC axis [exact around December 16 2019 and February 6 2020] and the effects of the Boxing Day Solar eclipse which formed a wide conjunction to Australia’s Sun Saturn conjunction.

Unfortunately, one of the unexpected events that has challenged the nation and is calling for a major reality check is the situation with the horrendous bush fires burning out of control along our east coast. As I write this newsletter bush fires are burning in all four of the eastern states: Queensland, N.S.W, Victoria and Tasmania and are causing massive pollution, loss of life and property as well as massive destruction of our forests and wildlife. Smoke haze is affecting both rural and urban areas, making this impossible to ignore.

Hopefully those within the government that are open to action on climate change will feel confident to speak out and force a much-needed change of direction.

Uranus makes it station direct at 2 degrees and 39 minutes of Taurus on January 11, intensifying the restless energy along with the need for change. Uranus has spent the last five months retrograde - as it does each year - and it now sitting still [making His station], preparing to once more regain forward momentum. Uranus, the Great Awakener, symbolizes the urge to change, break free of limitations and express our individuality so sit with any impulsive plans that emerge around this time to make sure they are an authentic expression of your true self, not just a reaction to your circumstances and environment.

The January 11 Full Moon at close to 20 Cancer - also a Lunar Eclipse – falls on the day Uranus stations direct, bringing an unpredictable element into play so try not to be reactive if you find yourself in a stressful situation.

While the Eclipse falls in Cancer, it is opposite the Sun, Mercury, Ceres, Saturn and Pluto which all fall in Capricorn highlighting, issues around how we balance: our private and public lives, nurturing and accomplishment and family and career. The Capricorn / Saturn theme emphasizes the need to balance feeling, intuition and emotion [Moon in Cancer] with earthy pragmatism. Saturn and Capricorn can also create a more sombre and serious mood that can lead to melancholy, especially if we are resisting taking responsibility. Beware that Saturn can activate our inner critics and a harsh perfectionism that can paralyze us.

Lunar eclipses tend to be more emotional and internal than solar eclipses. They stir up whatever is simmering in our subconscious and invite us to reflect and see things from a more objective [solar] perspective. Sometimes this may lead to the desire to act, but more often they are potent times for insight and illumination. Any full moon /lunar eclipse is essentially about working with polarized feeling states and seeing how we can find a more centred space where we can be this and that, not just this or that.

With the Capricorn stellium opposite the Moon it is a potent time to:
• Honor our private lives, feelings and emotional security needs
• Review emotional attachments
• Explore patterns around co-dependency, playing the martyr and the victim
• Reflect on what home and belonging means for us

Saturn [ruler of Capricorn] opposite the Moon challenges us all to become clearer about both our responsibilities to others [especially family members and the people we live with]and ourselves. We may need to set clearer boundaries and observe dynamics where we tend to play the parent or the child.

The New Moon at close to 4 Aquarius on January 25 ...is the marker for Chinese New Year, and this year it heralds the Year of the Rat. Chinese New Year is traditionally time to honour the ancestors and let go the past year while giving thanks for safe passage to this time of new beginnings. It is also a time to ask for blessings for the year ahead. For those of you who have not set your intentions for the 2020, this New Moon can provide another opportunity to clear your clutter – physically, emotionally and mentally – and reflect on what you need to embrace to move forward in your life.

The New Moon in Aquarius always invites us to reflect on how we relate to the Aquarian archetype. It invites us to take a more detached perspective on our lives and to reflect on friendships, group involvements and community. What does all this mean for you? It may be time to join a group, reach out to your friends or get involved in something that has an altruistic

2. New Saturn Pluto Cycle Begins on January 13
Saturn will conjunct Pluto at close to 23 Capricorn on January 13, two days after the lunar eclipse, marking the beginning of a new Saturn Pluto Cycle. The next conjunction does not take place until 2053/4.

This major collective transit has been simmering since Saturn joined Pluto in Capricorn in December 2017 and has been strongly influencing world affairs throughout 2018 and 2019. It suggests the need for structural transformation at the deepest level in all spheres - the political, economic, social and cultural domains – and is often characterized by fear [of change], conservatism, authoritarianism and the undermining [sabotage] of existing structures as a fear based reaction.

While it symbolizes the need for transformation of outworn structures and power shifts, it has also been associated with the rise of marginal disenfranchised groups, volatile market forces and power struggles. The use and abuse of power, the rise and fall of empires, deep cultural transformations, major economic shifts are all part of the Saturn Pluto domain.

The major challenge here is for us personally and collectively is to take responsibility for our lives and transform /let go old structures that no longer serve our wholeness. The danger is falling into the Capricorn shadow of anxiety, depression, shame and blame…and becoming either the victim or the tyrant; two sides of the one coin.

Possible scenarios
•Break down bloated / inflated [bureaucracies and structures]
•Transformation of government and business
•What can’t transform may die …touted as the death [Pluto] of de-regulated free market capitalism
•Fear of instability that may greater control of government
•More authoritarian laws & the erosion of civil liberties
•Urban infrastructure break down that requires rebuilding

Working constructively with the energy requires us to:
• Honestly re-evaluate the structures we have created in our lives
• Re-structure and transform the structures that no longer serve our true self
• Accept modest growth, if necessary being willing to cut back, consolidate,
•Stay grounded, realistic – and not give in to fear and blame
…and to be prepared to face our fears about living our truth.
What is REAL will endure and grow… albeit slowly and with re-structuring.

The dwarf planet, Eris, is also a part of this line up and will be through 2020 as it is currently at 23 Aries and square to Pluto and Saturn as well as to the Cancer Full Moon. Eris is found way out past Pluto - in the Kuiper belt - she has an orbital time of 558 years while Pluto’s is 248. The discovery of Eris in 2005, lead to the reclassification of Pluto as a dwarf planet due to the realization that Eris is larger than Pluto.

Astrologically Eris is connected with periods of disruption that lead to a new order, often through conflict. This is certainly what happened at the International Astrological Union’s 2006 meeting where this was decided, upsetting the status quo. It is also part of Her mythology as Eris is known as the Goddess of Strife. It was Eris who took revenge for not being invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis by releasing the Golden Apple that unleashed a series of events that lead to the Trojan War. Astrologically I see Eris as identified with external [and internal] disenfranchised parts of Self that may seek revenge if they are ignored. Certainly, this is very evident in world politics at the moment with the rise of conservative populism.

Eris as part of this mix suggests that internal and external conflicts may highlight divisions that call for healing and new ways forward. It also suggests the need to make difficult choices, especially from our leaders. Zeus abdicated responsibility for awarding the Golden Apple that Eris released, inscribed with the words ‘for the fairest’. Zeus invited the mortal Paris to do make the choice, with disastrous consequences. All three Goddesses who put their hand up to claim the apple [Aphrodite, Hera and Athena] offered bribes and went back on their promise not to seek revenge if not successful …sounds like a sickeningly familiar scenario in world affairs at the moment, and one we can learn something from.

May the Goddess & God Bless You All
Christine
www.christine-rothwell.com
christinerothwell@outlook.com