The Year Ahead

New Moon in Capricorn
Here’s wishing a very happy and healthy New Year 2008 to all NMM readers! You may have noticed the newsletter has skipped a couple of months: this is due to an overly hectic end to 2007 for me personally. It really is worth looking at what is happening in the sky, as it can drastically affect your life – for me it’s been a huge burst of energy which was injected by Uranus, planet of change, making a flowing trine to my midheaven, indicator of career and direction. The upshot of this has been that the pace of my work life has moved from plodding along in a rather dull and uninspiring way, to me suddenly finding myself involved in all sorts of exciting projects which, of course, require me to find more hours than there are in a day … See the end of this newsletter for one of those projects, which sees me launch my yoga teaching career.

Back to the astro-weather for this new lunar month. With the Sun and the Moon in Capricorn, we’re feeling the need to get back to some serious hard work after the Christmas and New Year festivities. It’s all about how we want to structure our lives, so this new moon is an ideal time to get planning: what do you want to achieve and be recognised for in the coming month? It’s also a good idea to get your financial affairs in order and take some responsibility for the boring details post the present buying frenzy, like working towards paying the bills for example. In addition, the Sun and Moon are making a tempting sextile, signifiying opportunity, to Uranus, which is about halfway through the sign of Pisces right now. This is an indication that we can effectively make changes with a bit of vim and vigour. This combo is telling us that the best way to be is both sensible and sensitive, so maybe you could incorporate a bit of compassion for others and for the environment into your plans this January. Meanwhile, Venus in Sagittarius is optimistic and eager to expand our horizons where networking, socialising and personal values are concerned. She’s heading up a powerful configuration called a T-square in the chart for this New Moon, and is asking us to be flexible and also to find a balance between acting responsibly and wanting it all our own way. This is the ideal time to reconsider your work/life balance and decide whether you’ve been leaning too far in one direction or the other. If any of you would like a list of new and full moons for 2008 please drop me an email, caroline@star-maps.co.uk

Astro-News – what in the heavens is happening in 2008?!

Pluto and Jupiter into Capricorn
There’s interesting times ahead for the cardinal signs, which are Capricorn, Libra, Cancer and Aries. On the one hand, Jupiter, planet of growth and expansion, bringer of luck and happiness (according to the ancients at least) has moved out of his native sign of Sagittarius and into the sign of the Goat. This means that all four of the signs mentioned above are being encouraged over the next year or so to expand their horizons and try dipping a toe into a different pond! This paves the way for some potentially serious transformational energy, as Pluto moves into Capricorn in late January 08, tracks back for a last lingering moment into Sagittarius, then takes up his journey proper from November 08 onwards.

On a global scale, Pluto shakes things up and brings to the surface that which is hidden. During his passage through Sagittarius this has included things such as religion, with religious war and fundamentalism being a focus particularly in latter years. Capricorn represents the establishment, in the form of Government and big business, so we can expect to see some shake ups in these areas over the next 16 or so years. Pluto is very good at exposing that which is hidden, so perhaps we’ll see evidence of corruption or mismanagement of money from major global companies finally coming to the surface. On a personal level when Pluto comes into our lives we are being asked to sweep out all of the outmoded attitudes and structures we have been clinging to from a comfort point of view. In order to evolve we must purge that which is holding us back, even if we believe at the time that we cannot let go of it. However, if we are brave enough to face our fears and let go of our misconceptions of what we need, Pluto brings us treasure, buried treasure which surfaces in the most unlikely places and sees us rising like the mythical phoenix from the ashes.

Mercury retrogrades this year
Mercury will do his usual thrice yearly backtracks this year on January 28th – February 19th, May 26th – June 19th and September 24th to October 15th. These are the times of year when we are asked to do some reviewing and house keeping rather than striking new deals or making major decisions. Take time out from the hustle and bustle and reflect on how you could do things more effectively. File the paperwork and plan the next quarter. It’s said that you should avoid making major purchases or launching big projects during these periods as timings can go awry and details are often missed. It’s also a time when transport and telecommunications throw in some niggly problems just to test us that little bit further!

Mars Retrograde
Mars has been retrograde from mid November 2007 and will backtrack until 30th January, from which time moving forward and getting things done will seem a whole lot easier. We’re meant to have been reviewing where we’re putting our energy and what direction we’re taking – perhaps if you haven’t so far, this new moon is the ideal time to get down to it with the blessings of Capricorn!

Yoga for Beginners at Lyddington!
For any NMM subscribers living local to Rutland, I’m setting up a yoga class in Lyddington at the Village Hall. It will run from weekly Monday 14th January, 6pm to 7.15pm and all are welcome! I’m currently studying with the British Wheel of Yoga for their Teacher Training Diploma, and would love to see you there if you’re able to come along for a boost to your well being and a reduction in your stress levels in 2008. For further information please call me on 01572 822226.

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