Mercury, planet of communication retrogrades in the Earth signs this year.

            Jan 1-Jan 15                     18 - 5 Capricorn 

 April 18 - May 12                     12- 2 Taurus

 Aug 21 - Sept 13                    19 - 5 Virgo

   ECLIPSES

The eclipse cycle shifts between the  Aquarius/Leo axis to the Capricorn/Cancer axis. The last time it was on this axis was between 1988 and 1989.  Expect to deal with similar energies in precisely the same places as it did the last time with 18.9 years of experience behind you.  Remember that the nature of eclipses is to force you to act to get your emotional needs in a particular area of life to better reflect your wants and your needs.  The Solar eclipse represents energies operating on the conscious level – affecting the Sun – so it would be where you project your identity in whatever house it is transiting through.  The Lunar eclipse represents your emotional energies operating on the non-conscious need level. They usually occur in pairs, always 2 weeks apart every 6 months. The cycle takes approximately 18 months.  The challenge is to recognize the areas that need work and to voluntarily choose to act during the first set of eclipses.  If you don’t then the universe will take care of it for you at the next set of eclipses and the change will be complete by the 3^rd set. 

Annular Eclipse and New Moon Jan 15 at 25 Capricorn 01

Partial Lunar Eclipse and Full Moon June 26 at 4 Capricorn 46

Solar Eclipse and New Moon July 18 at 19 Cancer

Total Lunar Eclipse and Full Moon Dec 21 at 29 Gemini 21

Prosperity Ritual

 An old pagan ritual (and my only superstition), I dance sky clad (a euphemism for naked) and burn a dollar bill as a sacrifice at the Equinox's on March 20 and Sept 22.  Coming from a time when it was a distinct possibility that one might not survive a harsh winter, and evoking the time-honored tradition of sacrificing something you value, you dance under the stars in the Spring at the Vernal Equinox, while burning a single dollar bill (it only takes a few seconds, and no, you don't get more if you burn a twenty). You thank God (or whatever name you call him, her, or it: "That which can create something out of nothing") for keeping you warm, safe, dry and fed through the winter while asking for a good growing season (prosperity). In the Fall at the Autumnal Equinox, you give thanks for a good summer and ask to be kept safe, warm, dry and fed through the winter. Less messy than a blood sacrifice and, not against the law like killing your first born child, it is a sacrifice (the burning making it a "pure offering") of something we value,  along with the heartfelt, grateful (thank you thank you thank you thank you) acknowledgment that without God's grace and indulgence, none of us would make it to the next season.  We can all use a little bit more prosperity and, after all, it couldn't hurt. 

Aries

The focus this year is on your career and public standing – what the world remembers you by - even if it comes at the expense of your home and foundations. Profound change in your career comes in mid-January, June and July culminating in a restructuring of career objectives in December.  Uranus entering your sign, however briefly, in April, for a 7 year stay, will be a harbinger of the new freedoms and opportunities heading your way, so make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to create to give the universe some clue of what you’d like to manifest.  Jupiter spends the majority of the year in your 12^th house so finish up all of your old projects, especially helping those less fortunate than yourself, before leaping head first into a whole new set when it too, briefly enters your sign in June.  Saturn is beginning a 2 year opposition to your sign, so take a look around at the partnerships and intimate one-to-one-relationships to see if they still serve your purpose:  Know that those which have outlived their usefulness in your life will go by the wayside, regardless of whether you think they have or not.  It might be difficult to remember that change doesn’t hurt us; resisting the change is what causes all the pain. Mars retrograding in your 5^th house of love affairs during the first half of the year focuses your passion on your love life and subsequent creativity, so expect the universe to shower you with options (most of them unsuitable) between January and March, with a better selection coming between April and June.   Your love life picks up in March and June while Venus entering Scorpio in September arouses your passion. Venus retrograding in October will call your jointly held resources into question as there may be some losses along with gains as the year draws to a close, but you should end the year on better financial footing than you began it on as something new may come to light that changes things. Mercury retrogrades in your 10^th house of career and public standing in January, affects your 2^nd house of money and earning ability in April and May and your 6^th house of work, responsibilities and health in September. 

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Taurus

The resources you share with others, particularly in regard to what it is that you really need, not just want, as well as matters of extreme importance consume your energies this year, with the trick being to keep as much as you can to the point of ruthlessness if necessary in January, June and July and culminating with some kind of definitive resolution by the end of December. Professional matters go very well during the first 6 months of the year, with the sight of the brass ring coming into view during the summer, and a consolidation of your professional power coming between September and December. Legal and educational matters take a step backward during the early part of the year, with the fight being “on” from April through resolution in early June. Work and responsibilities increase in the September, but nothing much comes of it until November and December.  Single Twins can find love in April and August and where they work, in November; just check the rules before plunging into something intense and passionate, and remember that is it usually the woman who gets fired for fooling around at work usually ratted out by a jealous coworker.  Mercury retrogrades in your 8^th house of jointly-held resources in January, in your 12^th house in April and May where your own words get used against you and disrupts your 4^th house of home and foundations in August and September.

The Eclipse cycle is on your axis, and although it may appear that circumstances beyond your control are causing changes where you live, if you look closely at your life both at the January 15 and June-July eclipses, you will see that the universe is trying very hard to bring you what you need, even if you aren’t even sure that you need it. Take a hard look at the intimate one-to-one relationships in your life, including business and marriage partners, and try to evaluate which ones have a valid place in your life and which ones have outlived their usefulness and need to come to an end. The law is on your side all year, so use it to get what you need.  You may get an opportunity to travel and to expand your horizons, either in a formal or informal educational setting, but either way it is preparing for a professional debut that you get hints of during the summer, but won’t actually come to fruition until the last eclipse on your axis in January 2011.  Unanticipated expenses drain your coffers during the first half of the year, and you may play catch up until the year’s end.  Unattached Crabs may experience a somewhat foreign or exotic flavor of love this year, particularly in May and June, but you can expect something more intense than at any time in recent memory to rock you well into the fall and early winter as Venus in Scorpio arouses passions you didn’t even know you had. Communication breakdowns in early January in your 7th house lead to partnership conflicts, 11^th house brings difficulties with friends or colleagues in April and May and in your 3^rd house of legal, educational or travel matters in late August through early September.

 The restructuring of your work and responsibilities that began last summer continues in early January with the action being complete by June and July. Mars, planet of ego oriented expression, begins the year retrograde, in your sign so you feel like you are taking a step backward for every two you take forward. This reverses itself in mid-March, when you will find your energy levels increasing, the will to fight returning along with better opportunities for success. Just don’t fight blindly, and don’t view every challenge as though your very life was at stake and remember that sometimes you have to lose a battle in order to win the war.  If a woman offers her help during this time, gratefully accept it, as she is an angel sent to save you from yourself and your enormous ego. The Money Gods smile on you all year, as you can benefit from other people’s resources, and something new may come to light that changes things in some way that allows you to regenerate your sorely tested soul. The restructuring of your day to day living that begins in January will take 2 years to complete, so take your time and build a structure you can operate within and that may include building some strategic alliances that will play out over the next 18 months or so. Don’t expect the “fair” thing to happen, but be damn grateful when the equitable thing does. Leo’s find their passions rising in January, February and July, but the deepest, most intense feelings show up in the fall and may rock to you to the core of your being, impacting your home and foundations.  Miscommunication may compound your 6^th house of work and responsibilities in early January, your 10^th house of career and public standing in April and May and your 2^nd house of money and finances in August and September.

 Although it appears that the heavy hand of Saturn has finally left your sign, making everything easier for you, it does make a re-appearance in late Virgo from April through July just to remind you that nothing is free and you have to work for every single thing you get. The eclipse cycle is in your love and creativity sector, and with a little bit of help from your friends, you can expand the range of love in your life and create a new love relationship with someone either a little bit older than you or a blast from your past giving it the ol’-once-more-for-old-times-sake; or if you are attached pour your love into creating something new inside of an old relationship.  You may be in demand for one reason or another, so examine all new partners with a critical eye, before settling on any new permanent structures until you are sure you are seeing things clearly by the year’s end.  The clash of ego’s begun last fall, continues during the first 6 months of the year, with enemies finally stepping out into the light where you can see and dispatch them between mid-March and June. Mars enters your sign in June for the first time in 22 months, so bide your time and line up your ducks to be able to advance your own agenda during the second half of the year and remember the immortal words of the prophet Mr Joe “he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day”. Your love life rocks in January, March and August while the fall brings the opportunity to combine business, pleasure and some short distance travel, so either fly somewhere to meet someone fun or take someone fun along with you for the ride and if you can write it off your taxes as continuing education, so much the better.  Miscommunications affect your 5^th house of love affairs in early January, your 9^th house of legal, educational or travel matters in April and May, and your 1^st house of your physical and personal image in late August and September.

Saturn beginning the year in your sign is an indicator that your responsibilities are likely to increase as the year progresses, so have a care with forming new structures without assessing the toll they are likely to take on your freedom of movement and remember that anything is easier to get in to than get out of. The eclipse cycle continues to rock your foundations in January, June, July and December, bringing forth issues from the depths of your being with implications ranging from a simple reorganizing of your home and possessions to a complete restructuring from the very core of your being.  Work and responsibilities go well during the early part of the year, with some obstacle to your success moving out of your way between September and December clearing the way for your advancement.  Medical problems have a better outcome than you fear, so deal with them immediately instead of waiting until they are out of control. Male friends and colleagues need you on their team during the first half of the year, just try to keep your ego out of things, or you will find yourself coming out on the wrong side of an outcome you helped create. You can fall in love with someone or something in January, solidify partnerships in March and advance your own interests in August and September.  The Money Gods smile on you between September and December, just remember that you don’t get something for nothing and you cannot cheat an honest person. Miscommunication wreaks havoc in your 4^th house of home in January, disrupts your 8^th house of other people’s resources and finances in April and May and your 12^th house of your own undoing using your own words against you in August and September.  

 Making more money is clearly your focus this year and any reasonable effort gets results in mid-January, June, July and December. You can create a strategic alliance with friends or colleagues where you both benefit from the association and do better than either one of you would do alone. You may turn your attention to your home and foundations either refurbishing, rehabilitating or remodeling your existing home or even purchase property or real estate, even if you aren’t planning on living there right away – expressing the desire for a stable inner world. Your energy levels are high during the first half of the year and you may do more traveling than normal, perhaps acquiring additional education someplace outside your usual haunts. Legal matters pending since last fall go nowhere during the first quarter, but seem to move off dead center towards resolution between March and June.   Love worth the chase appears in March and May, but both attached and unattached Archers can lose their minds to passion after September when all bets are off. Just remember that you are horrible at keeping a secret, and you cannot keep love hidden behind the scenes, even if you hide it in a foreign country, and that sooner or later you will get caught and have to face the consequences of your actions, so make sure the object of your desire is worth the price you’ll have to pay. Miscommunication can wreak havoc with your 2nd house of finances in January, upset your 7^th house of partnerships in April and May and bite you in the professional ass in August and September when it transits your 10^th house of career and public standing.

The Eclipse cycle is in your sign all year, continuing the process begun last summer of solidifying your interpersonal relationships, and clearly identifying and maintaining your rights in the relationship, perhaps over the rights of your partner. Everything you do this year is aimed at bringing you what it is you desire, and with Pluto fully into your sign, you will stop at nothing to get whatever that is. Climbing a new professional mountain may be a two-year process, so proceed deliberately and methodically to build a good foundation and keep chipping away at it  until you have achieved your objective. Educational opportunities abound and the pace of your daily living picks up dramatically along with short distance, short duration travel for business, pleasure or some combination thereof. Your finances continue to hemorrhage until early June when the spending finally stops, after which you can begin to rebuild your sorely tested resources, but it will be good for you to see how little you really need versus want. Love fills your life in January, June and July, but you really discover the richness of love in your life in the fall when confronted with a blast from your romantic past wondering if there is a spark of passion left to which you might not know the answer until Venus goes direct in December. Miscommunication and misunderstanding in your 1^st house clouds your personal issues in January, the 5^th house of creativity and your love life in April and May and the 9^th house of legal, educational or travel matters in August and September.