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Cosmic Diaries: 2012 Annual Horoscopes
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So long ago
Was it in a dream, was it just a dream?
I know, yes I know
Seemed so very real, it seemed so real to me— John Lennon, #9 Dream
Dear Friends,
There’s magic in the air… Neptune entered Pisces yesterday, marking perhaps one of the most significant events of the year and certainly our lifetime.
Neptune is the modern ruler of Pisces and its ingress into its home sign is sure to bring a touch of magic into our world. The last time Neptune entered Pisces (in 1848) marked a time of great revolution across the world. This year promises to be no different, especially with the Uranus-Pluto squares which exact at the middle of the year.
But still Neptune’s influence suggests behind the veil of this cosmic drama, lies the hand of a higher Divine force descending here on earth. And we each have our unique role and part to play in what is emerging. We are indeed drops in the infinite ocean of consciousness, and without even one of us, the whole would not be whole.
I’ll have more to say on this transit in a bit. For now here below is Part One of the 2012 Annual Horoscopes covering the Astrological Highlights for 2012.
To read what these transits mean for your individual signs you can purchase your Cosmic Diaries: 2012 Annual Horoscopes at this link. These are in-depth forecasts of about 3500 words covering the astrology for your sign. (I recommend you purchase for your Sun Sign as well as Rising sign, or you can buy more to share with family and friends.)
With Love,
Priya
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Important Note: Although I have listed these astrological events as separate events, in order to accurately read a chart, it is important to consider the whole sky.
These are not unrelated events, but part of a greater “whole” and holistic picture, influences that will operate simultaneously, much as we continue to breathe even while asleep, or like the need for a rear-view mirror in a car even as we keep our eyes on the road ahead.
Every part of a car, or even of our bodies, functions as part of the whole, and so it is with our lives and this Universe we live in. Every person, bird, animal and pebble has its place in the whole, and the whole cannot be whole without all of its parts.
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Neptune ingresses Pisces
On Feb. 3, 2012 at 2:03 PM EST, Neptune enters Pisces and will remain in the sign for the next 13 years, until 2025.
There’s a spell being cast. Neptune is the ruler of Pisces (the sign that represents ‘cosmic consciousness’), and its entry into its home sign will be felt subtly but in unmistakable, perhaps magical, ways.
Pisces represents ethereal energy, spirit, ether, the Universe and God as an experience. Neptune, the ruler of Pisces, itself is a ball of liquid and gas held together by gravity; it only appears to be ‘solid,’ and this gives us a clue to its energy.
This transit has the potential to bring out the God and Goddess in you, or to bring you a more palpable experience of the Divine.
But Neptune also represents ‘Maya,’ the great cosmic cloak of Illusion, dreams, or “the skin” of the God. If we want to experience and taste true divine bliss, this will require us to look past the shallow illusions and judgements in order to feel and see the soul of a substance and to recognize that ultimately all is sacred.
This influence will bring a glimmer to life, a touch of magic; indeed, things could be rather surreal at times, with more opportunities to dip our toes into a more glamorous existence, bringing us a chance to live the dream. But this also requires a certain amount of courage: being awake, aware and conscious enough to seize opportunities; recognizing subtler chances; following your intuition; flowing with the scent of your soul; letting it guide you through life’s rapids.
The influence of Neptune in Pisces, with the Pluto-Uranus aspect dominating the sky over the coming years, suggests to me that if we keep our eyes wide open, then this can have us ‘living the dream.’ Through clarifying projections, we can let go of futile battles with the external and awaken to a deeper truth that’s welling up from within.
This is an era that is asking for clarity and spiritual awareness. But there will be those for whom the pain of reality and waking up is too much to handle and who will choose to sink deeper into denial and get lost in a sea of delusion, alcohol, drugs, and also those who will cling to “sleep” and sink deeper into denial because the pain of waking up is too much to bear.
Chiron is also in Pisces now and will be in conjunction to Neptune through most of the year, asking us for deep awareness, without which it can feel like spiraling or drowning in a whirlpool of chaos.
Chiron is like Pluto in the sense that there is no going back, but the more we act in awareness, the deeper is the feeling of liberation in the midst of rapid change. Chiron will remain in Pisces until 2018, and children born during this time especially will be unusually gifted, psychic and sensitive.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, now would be a good time to seek help. Any healing or spiritual work we do now will bring deep, rapid results. Chiron is the wounded healer; it brings a deeply transformational process which threads the genetic, cellular, biological level to the higher vibrations of matter and energy — all the way to the spiritual level.
Perhaps what we need is not to see the world through rose-colored glasses, but rather to take off the glasses so that we might gain clarity on a more sublime level of how beautiful and alive the world and this cosmos really are. And what a divine gift “life” in the flesh is.
Mars Retrograde in Virgo
Mars stations retrograde on January 23rd, 2012 at 7:53 PM EST at 23+ Virgo.
The Sabian Symbol for Virgo 24 reads: “Mary and her little Lamb”; Dane Rudhyar’s keynote for this symbol reads: “The need to keep simplicity at the core of one’s being as one meets the many tests of existence.”
He goes on to add, “…though great spectacular resolute efforts are needed in order to achieve one’s higher destiny, still the essential quality as one journeys ‘the Path’ is a pure, spontaneous, fresh and non-violent approach to all encounters. This of course is Jesus’ entreaty to his disciples — that they should be like ‘little children.’ Without such a deep heartfelt sympathy the seeker (Mars) after spiritual experiences (Virgo) is bound to find himself glamorized by his own successes, and to see his ego feeding on the drama of struggle and victory.”
Virgo is the sign opposite Pisces on the zodiac; as an earth sign, this is the other extreme manifestation of the Divine here on this physical plane, representing, among other things, ‘cosmic order’ and one’s spiritual path. Virgo also rules health and the nervous system and operates on a level of mind, body and soul. It is understandable, then, that Virgos are often natural healers, therapists, nurses, ones who ‘serve.’ Mars is the ruler of Aries — the ‘child’ of the zodiac — and in understanding these basic qualities of the energy, we see that they echo the Sabian Symbol profoundly, bringing a clear message.
Depending on where (according to house placement) you have Virgo in your chart, that is the area of your life that will be highlighted by this transit — bringing a call to duty and a request that we act in service with a focus on healing. In some cases there is a feeling of our best-laid plans going awry, but any retrograde planet follows the natural cosmic rhythm of life, ensuring that we don’t get ahead of ourselves.
This can also be very nervous energy, so there could be a heightened tendency to worry and feel anxious about something that seems out of your control. But worry never solved anything, and if we can avoid critical energy, then it can be channeled into finding solutions.
“A stitch in time saves nine,” but it’s also true that “haste makes waste.” Don’t be in a hurry to unravel all your hard work. Learn from what you may consider to be mistakes, but also recognize that what you may consider a mistake is part of a greater divine plan in motion and that what we need is “curiosity and a non-violent approach” that will allow us to find solutions rather than strain what we are trying to build or repair. Mars in Virgo is a reminder of the fact that we are all God’s children, learning and growing in this school of life, and that is all that matters. Mars in Virgo suggests something is a work in progress, and it will require diligence as we complete the task.
This is a time for re-working, fine-tuning, revising, taking stock of what is not working. Now would be the time to clean out your work space, get more organized and find ways to work smarter rather than harder. Spring (or Fall, depending on which half of the globe you live in) cleaning could take on a whole new meaning this year, and you could finally get years of procrastination and clutter taken care of. Virgo operates on a level of mind, body and soul, so don’t underestimate the value of this process to carry through on all levels. Spiritually and emotionally, as well, this can be a deeply cleansing and healing transit.
As Mars (ruler of Uranus, currently in Aries) retrogrades through Virgo, it will trine Jupiter in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn. As much as things are changing, they are also stabilizing. Pay attention to details, but not so much that you lose sight of the bigger picture of what you are working to create.
There will be a need for awareness as much as there is the need for curiosity. I often say working with Mars is like working with an open flame. The nature of fire is to burn, but fire harnessed is the gift from the Gods, the gift of Prometheus. Richard Tarnas likens Uranus to Prometheus, ‘the great awakener.’ This is especially interesting given the fact that Uranus is now in Aries, Mars’ home sign, awakening us to our individual power and ability to make a meaningful contribution towards a greater cause.
Venus’ Transit of the Sun
Certainly one of the most significant and rare events of the year, and even this century, is marked by Venus’ transit of the Sun on June 6, 2012.
Quoting Wiki: “A transit of Venus across the Sun, takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth, becoming visible against (and hence obscuring a small portion of) the solar disk.
“…Transits of Venus are among the rarest of predictable astronomical phenomena. They occur in a pattern that repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years. Before 2004, the last pair of transits were in December 1874 and December 1882.”
In our recent known history, these transits have occurred along the Gemini-Sagittarius axis on the Tropical zodiac and in Taurus-Scorpio in the sidereal zodiac. Its also interesting to me that the Nodes in Astrology are said to be exalted along this same axis, giving us an important clue into the path of human evolution.
As Venus completes her second transit in 8 years (8 being the number of transformation, resurrection and Scorpio), to me this suggests a major change in Venusian-related areas. This seems to be an eight-year journey from one shore to another, from one pillar of Gemini to the other, the journey between the past and the future — to the “other side” here in the eternal now.
Venus is the Goddess of love, beauty, creativity, social charm and grace. In Gemini, this is about learning to communicate and express ourselves from the heart. There is also a sense that there may be important choices being made regarding financial and emotional commitments that we share, and with Gemini, we can expect a quality of duality here. But remember: the heart is the bridge across the mind that opens us to higher wisdom.
In keeping the heart open, we can ‘eclipse’ the darker mental thoughts or attitudes that cause us to make choices based in fear rather on what or whom we truly value.
There may even be second chances that you could never possibly have imagined would present themselves, especially in love and romantic relationships and financial negotiations. Venus is retrograde at this time, and there is a sense that we may be reviewing choices that were made a long time ago. Remember, there is no such thing as the right or wrong choice, just one that feels right to your heart. And if your heart is in the right place, you can’t really go wrong.
Also, look at any double standards or ideals that you need to let go of that prevent you from recognizing the love or opportunities for abundance in your world. We are now understanding something in a new light and receiving a chance to wipe the slate clean of lingering unresolved feelings that we may have carried around for the past eight years, allowing us to make choices in the present that are true to who we are today and what we want to create for our future, rather than to who we used to be or what we may have once desired.
Jupiter in Taurus & Jupiter ingresses Gemini
Jupiter entered Taurus in late May 2011 and stationed retrograde in August. Since then, Jupiter retrograded all the way back to the first degree of Taurus, where it stationed direct on Christmas Day.
For the first half of 2012, Jupiter will transit straight through Taurus, making its third and final trine to Pluto on March 12, 2011 (the previous two aspects occurred on July 7, 2011 and October 28, 2012.) Also at this time, Mars will be retrograde in Virgo, completing a Grand Earth trine with Jupiter and Pluto.
Jupiter is the largest planet in the zodiac, and Taurus has a quality of inertia to it. Also, Jupiter’s direct station occurred the day after the New Moon in Capricorn. A heavy body like Jupiter suggests it may take a little effort to get moving, but once we get the ball rolling, this is something that can only gather great momentum as the year progresses.
A rolling stone gathers no moss. As Jupiter trines Pluto, the more we are willing to make change and move with the changes, the more we can stabilize a situation and make progress. It will require a little effort to get out of stuck patterns and do what needs to be done in order to facilitate change and progress. Rather than resist the changes that are occurring, we can shift something permanently for the better if we are willing to do the hard work.
What is also interesting, though, is that Pallas (an asteroid) in Pisces will form a Kite with the Grand Trine aspect and will provide a point of release for the energy. Pallas is a warrior goddess, and her energy can be associated with negotiation skills. She was the protectress of Athens, and it is she after whom the city is named.
There may be a sense that we could now keep going along a certain track, or that we have the opportunity to bring real change into our lives. In any situation where it feel likes you are stuck in a pattern at this time, ask yourself what you are working for. There is no reason to be defensive or ashamed of your desires. But keep sight of your highest spiritual vision. You don’t need to defend it; just be clear and conscious, and you can see how a small detail or uncovered fact or clue could be the solution you’ve been looking for that allows you to clean up a mess.
Because Jupiter is the largest planet in the zodiac, when it changes signs, we generally feel a shift in the energy. Jupiter returns to a sign once every 12 years and transits through a sign for a year. On June 11, 2012 Jupiter enters Gemini and will remain in the sign until June 25, 2013, highlighting the area of your life/chart ruled by Gemini.
Mundane manifestations of this energy could include increased communication, a time of growth for the communication industry, growth in interpersonal communication, writing and expanding one’s knowledge and world view.
Communication will be key, as will be wisdom in knowing “how” to communicate, as much as “what” we communicate. In admitting we don’t know all the answers, we can be open to discovering a greater truth. On a mundane level as well, with technology advancing at the rate it is, we can expect to make even more giant leaps with a greater influx of devices changing the way we communicate.
We will feel the energy of Jupiter in Gemini most acutely and pointedly at the end of the year, when Jupiter will be in a Yod with Saturn and Pluto. A Yod aspect is also known as the “Finger of God” aspect, with a feeling of the hand of fate guiding events. Jupiter will be at 9+ Gemini at this time. This degree of the zodiac aligns with the fixed star Alderberan and the “Nuclear Axis” along Gemini-Sagittarius.
It is a degree that is rather prominent in “nuclear” world events: highlighted in the charts for the first self-sustaining atomic reaction, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and most recently during the 9-11 bombing at the World Trade Center in NYC, among others. Also, Aldeberan is a the fixed star (in sidereal Taurus,) at this degree of Gemini, which represents the ‘Eye of the Bull’ or the ‘Eye of the Buddha.’ Buddha became enlightened on a Full Moon night with the Moon conjunct this star.
This tells us that there is an explosive quality to this degree of the zodiac, whether in mental (Gemini) or physical energy (sidereal Taurus.) I am not one to predict disasters, nor do I foresee 2012 as bringing the end of the world by any means. But Jupiter’s presence at this degree and at this time, in this configuration, to me aligns with the theories surrounding the ‘major shift in consciousness at the end of the year.’
With Pluto and Saturn in a sextile, the world is changing. But it may be that we are finding it hard to wrap our minds around the enormity of some of the changes that are taking place, bringing an exaggerated sense of duality. Or it may feel like there is a huge choice that we are being presented with, and this will require a quantum leap of faith and consciousness.
Jupiter’s influence is benevolent, so there is a sense that even in what we may consider a life and death situation, there is a wise choice, and there could be a sense of “lucky” or a sense of a narrow escape from something that could have gone either way.
Jupiter in Gemini suggests that there is higher wisdom coming through. Instead of holding on to old beliefs, mental conditioning and ideologies, we will have to be open to learning, and then we can truly receive the knowledge or information we need in order to make enlightened choices.
Saturn ingresses Scorpio
Saturn enters Scorpio on Oct. 5, 2012 and will transit through the sign until 2015.
But first, as we begin 2012, Saturn is in Libra, where it has been since October 2009. As we move through the final months of Saturn’s transit through Libra, learn the lessons of truth, justice, integrity and honesty well, and then it will be easier to enter the phase of Saturn in Scorpio and to grow into one’s own authority and power while taming the ego that threatens to abuse or use one’s power in destructive ways.
Saturn in Scorpio will bring change, perhaps difficult lessons at times, but the gift will be one of very real transformation. Saturn is the great teacher, the ‘gatekeeper’ between the past and the future, and Saturn was also Chronos, the keeper of time on this earthly plane. And the times they are a changing, that is for sure.
Pluto is in Capricorn (the sign ruled by Saturn) and represents government, economy, and business. With Saturn now in Scorpio (representing power, sex, finances, commerce, life, death, birth, transformation, genetics, marriage), we can see significant changes in these areas over the coming two years that will usher us into a new world.
There will be changes in laws surrounding controversial subjects like euthanasia, abortion, gay marriages, genetic research. There may also be great advances or discoveries in science that teach us about human genetics and longevity, changes in government and policy and operations on a global level.
You are more likely to feel this energy personally if you’re a Capricorn or Scorpio Sun or Ascendant, or if you have inner planets or angles in Scorpio.
Scorpio — and Saturn, for that matter — represents ‘that which we must face.’ Although both of these energies can bring a heavy foreboding, even morbid sense at times (‘the doomsday people’ are likely to have a field day with this energy), it is important to note that this is a process and that nothing lasts forever — not joy, not sorrow. All are this part of this eternal cycle of life and that is what Saturn’s transit through Scorpio is teaching us.
Whatever lessons you are learning now, remember that this is far from the end and that the only constant in life is change. Rather than trying to control the external, struggle, resist change or feel oppressed by, it or feel like we are being dragged into it kicking and screaming, this is calling for a deep surrender that will allow us to reclaim our true authority and power in the midst of evolution.
