new year
Astrology Forecast December 26, 2022 – January 1, 2023
Mercury turning retrograde on Thursday, this week should unfold easily and smoothly.
Today’s Aquarius Moon could cause some electronic or communication glitches as it joins forces with a receding Mercury, but keep in mind this is designed to get our attention and alert us to where change might be needed. For example, if you received a new iPhone for Christmas and it’s not working as it should, it might be a good idea to return it to the store for an exchange.
In fact, if you do have any gifts you are looking to exchange, this is the week to take care of that, as Mercury prepares to go backward. This should ideally be done this Thursday or Friday under the Aries Moon.
Also, beware the Aquarius Moon conjunction with Saturn in Aquarius this afternoon, as it has a penchant for invoking feelings of unease, melancholy and even depression. Do not give in to self-pity or negative thinking the day after Christmas. Instead, make that phone call to a lonely relative or friend, or visit that struggling neigbor with a small gift or sweet treat to brighten their day! Many folks will feel lonely and abandoned under this lunar aspect today.
New Year’s Eve on Saturday and the first day of 2023 on Sunday unfold under a Taurus Moon, offering us a grounded and loving position from which to kick start a prosperous and peaceful New Year. Setting sensible new year’s resolutions should be a snap under this very determined aspect, as we prepare to greet 2023 with better health, more financial security, and tangible progress towards our goals and dreams for the coming year.
May Our Souls Continue To Rejoice
We have indeed so much to be grateful for today. May the joys and rememberances of this post-pandemic holiday season keep our hearts alive with hope, faith and gratitude throughout the coming year.
May our souls continue to rejoice with the miracles of joy, hope, faith and love of the Christmas of the Christians; Yule of the Pagans; Candle-mas of the Celts; Hanukkah of the Hebrews; Eid ul-Fitr of Islam; Pan-African festival of Kwanzaa; and Hindu celebration of Diwali.
In the old days, before the reformers came, the Old Oak King conquered the Holly King every year around this time. Mother Earth would then sleep under a white blanket of snow, the quiet ice of still waters, everything waiting for the Summer Solstice, when the Holly King would win the battle in turn.
We face the same battles of duality in our own lives. At times we are happily progressing along our own path, expanding, learning, growing spiritually, when suddenly an impasse comes along that requires us to become still, to be patient, to wait, to rest, to contemplate, to accept. We are seldom thankful, as we would prefer to continue rushing towards our goals, our dreams, our desires. We grumble, we complain, we resist, we fight the wait, and then we wonder why we are waiting so long.
Sometimes we are meant to just take the time to rest, draw strength, find ourselves. The true lesson and miracle of this season is the wait, the peace, the rest, until we once again see our dreams more clearly.
How To Achieve Inner Peace This Holiday Season
I recently did a deep meditation to ask Spirit how we can achieve inner peace this holiday season, as well as throughout the rest of the year. Here is what Spirit revealed to me.
Self-Care
Take better care of yourself – mind, body and soul. This is key, because if you are not taking care of your own health and well-being, then you won’t have much to offer others.
Do not neglect your spiritual practice. Pray. Meditate. Chant. Journal.
Eat a healthy diet. Get enough sleep. Exercise. Moving the body helps with circulation and helps with all kinds of pain. You will feel better for taking an hour to exercise. We are happier when we feel better.
Take some time to relax and have fun. Read. Reading is very relaxing and is a healthy escapism. What interests you? Find books on subjects you enjoy and start reading. Someone once said that books make good friends.
And most of all, don’t neglect your daily spiritual practice. If you do not have a practice, get one.
Goodwill
Think about this past year, and make a list of those that were naughty and nice to you. Pray for both. Ask for happiness, joy and goodwill to enter everyone’s lives, and then also visualize this. Visualize each person and open your heart. Wish each of them goodness.
Embrace The New Solar Year Without The Self-Sabotage
On March 21st we entered a new solar year ruled by the planet Jupiter, which promises luck, healing, abundance, and happiness. The last two years have been challenging and an extreme test of our values and beliefs, but the time has now come to rise above it and use the energy of the planet Jupiter to make the most of this new solar year. It is time for us to now enjoy the fruits of our struggle.
But when we are in such a transition process there are always things that slow us down or hold us back. Fortunately, there are ways to erase these obstacles to ensure a much more smooth transition. If you are struggling to embrace the new year solar year energy of Jupiter, you may be dealing with one or more of the following self-sabotaging energy blockages.
FALSE BELIEFS
The most important thing is to become aware if you have a negative mindset caused by certain fears and false beliefs. Make a list of every negative idea or false belief you may have about the future. Then rewrite each of them in a positive form and also in the present tense. For example, if you worry that the pandemic may never end and our lives will never me normal again, rephrase that notion as: “The pandemic will end in due course and life will eventually return to an even better version of normal.” It’s almost like overwriting an old computer program.
VICTIM MENTALITY
Realize that you alone can change your life for the better. Nobody else is going to do it for you. The more you direct the focus away from your own responsibility and self-empowerment, and instead focus on others in a negative way, the more you remain in the passive, victim role and nothing can truly change. Forgive people in your life and take back your power. A better life and brighter future begins with yourself. Continue reading
Astrology Forecast January 31 – February 6, 2022
Happy New Year! This will be a week of fresh beginnings, forward motion and renewed motivation. Don’t be fooled by the Aquarius New Moon setting a contrasting, feminine, yin tone before the masculine yang of the Chinese New Year of the Tiger beginning tomorrow. The Tiger year will be giving us a second chance to make some resolutions and embrace a new energy for the year ahead.
The Tiger represents prowess, stealth and achievement, marking this year as one with the potential to bring success in all we do. It will also cast a stronger and more confident tone over us, inspiring us to move forward with passion and fortitude.
The year 2020 (Year of the Rat) was about survival and the need for adaptability and flexibility. The year 2021 (Year of the Ox) was about caution, keeping faith and staying centered and grounded in a challenging new world. But the Year of the Tiger will be about renewed vigor, futuristic ambition, revitalized enthusiasm, and the courage to make major changes and achieve new goals. We can expect things to change very rapidly this year.
The Year of the Tiger may however not start on a high note for those of us who are prone to melancholy, depression, or negative thinking. The Aquarius Moon conjunction with Saturn in Aquarius early on Tuesday could create a sense of dissatisfaction, loneliness or self-pity. Tap into the daring, self-empowered energy of the powerful tiger. Time to get fired up!
On Thursday Mercury will thankfully resume forward motion from its current retrograde, offering us yet another cycle of forward movement and progress. Fortunately, once Mercury resumes forward motion, no planets will be retrograde for the next three months. So, the sky is not even the limit of what we can achieve and attain the first half of this year.
The assertive and confident Aries Moon will grace the skies Friday through Sunday, making this the ultimate week to make fresh starts and embrace new beginnings.
Maybe It’s Time To Dream Big Again!
The first week of a brand-new year is an opportune time for reflection on the past year, and an opportunity to visualize the upcoming year with fresh optimism and conviction.
For most of us, the past two years have been difficult and even overwhelming with various social restrictions, stress, political upheaval, illness, anxiety, fear, grief, financial loss. We endured a roller-coaster of events that made us hopeful yet kept us off-balance. Our lives and daily routines have been repeatedly disrupted.
However, in spite of the various set-backs, we made it. We showed courage, strength, perseverance and the ability to bounce back. We can now face 2022, trusting that we are slowly but surely heading in the right direction.
So, take a minute to pat yourself on the back. Reflect on some of the hurdles you overcame in 2020 and 2021, whether they involved financial strain, health challenges, family issues or unpredictable relationships. Regardless of the outcomes, you can rest assured that you did the best you could with what you knew at the time. We can take pride in the fact that, despite the constant setbacks and obstacles, we somehow figured things out and made it work. Job well done!
Now, let’s look to the future for the year 2022. Maybe it’s time to dare to dream big? Think of all the things you would like to accomplish over the next twelve months. What would joy, fulfillment and happiness look like for you?
Does it involve changes to be made regarding lifestyle choices, personal responsibility, or perhaps self-care? Might your happiness involve the mutual support of friends and family with group goals? Is a well-deserved vacation long overdue? Would taking a course, conducting some personal research, or working more efficiently improve your chances for a promotion or starting that new business?
The Ripple Effect Of Kindness
Although I am usually very careful with online transactions, I received a notification yesterday of two unknown online purchases for the same amount, but from separate companies, both debited to my credit card without my knowledge.
It´s been a few years since I have been scammed in this way, so when I began investigating the matter it soon became obvious that online fraud has become rife in recent years. It’s much more complicated and frustrating to sort this out with vendors and the bank than it used to be. It was certainly a lesson for me to be more careful in future.
However, an unexpected blessing came from the mishap, as it often does. At the end of the first phone call I made to report the issue, the call center agent who assisted me thanked me for “being so nice to him.” When I asked him what he meant, he said my voice had soothed him and that he consequently felt a great sense of calm. He explained that people usually begin these call by yelling at him, as if he is somehow to blame.
“Well, it´s hardly your fault,” I said.
He continued by saying that customers are usually very angry and upset. Although he is trained to handle such calls, and understand the frustration of the callers, one never really get used to the feeling of being attacked and insulted – simply for doing your job.
I felt blessed after our interaction to know that I had impacted someone´s day positively. It reminded me that our words and actions really can make or break someone´s day.
It reminded me of the time when I used to work for an airline, many years ago. Our service training was heavily focused on customer care, particularly as this particular airline didn´t have a great reputation for punctuality or customer service in those days. Management was making a concerted effort to rectify their bad reputation.